Polly joins New Zealand’s 200 Club

New Zealand’s Chris Pollock 200Chris Pollock will join a select group when he takes charge of his 200th first-class match in Wellington tomorrow.

The Super Rugby match between the Hurricanes and the Blues sees Pollock become just the fifth New Zealander to have the whistle for 200 first-class fixtures. Paddy O’Brien still leads the way with 221, followed by Paul Honiss (220), Steve Walsh (210) and Bryce Lawrence (201) also in the club.

Pollock, now 43, made his first-class debut in 2000 in a match between Hawke’s Bay and Southland, and he went on to referee in 22 Tests finishing his test career after the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.

New Zealand Rugby High Performance Referee Manager Rod Hill congratulated Pollock on the eve of achieving the milestone; “To reach 200 first class matches for any athlete in this modern game is a special achievement. For match officials – it’s not an easy achievement over 15 years. Polly can be incredibly proud of what he has achieved in refereeing in New Zealand and on the international stage.”