Now all the Easter eggs have been consumed, rugby’s back with a glut of action around the northern competitions as they head towards the end of the regular season, and the southern tournaments bedding in nicely.
In Super Rugby, Jamie Nutbrown (above left) starts the weekend off by refereeing a Kiwi North Island derby between the Hurricanes and Chiefs in Wellington. Australian Conference leaders the Rebels host the Jaguares in Melbourne where Nic Berry has the whistle, while Mike Fraser has the Highlanders versus Brumbies clash in Dunedin. The Australian derby between the Waratahs and Reds in Sydney will be refereed by Angus Gardner while the all-South Africa affair in Durban between the Sharks and Bulls will be refereed by Egon Seconds.
In the Aviva Premiership, Matthew Carley (above second left) hits his 71st appointment, as he officiates the heavyweight clash between East Midlands rivals Leicester Tigers and Northampton Saints. There’s only three spots left to play for after Exeter secured a spot in the top four last weekend.
In the Pro14, George Clancy (above second right) is in an Italian room 101 as Zebre take on the Dragons of west Wales.
In sunnier climes, a team of fourteen referees is at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, and AJ Jacobs (above right) will take charge of the big Varsity Cup match at Stellenbosch as the Maties play Pukke.
Relax and enjoy all the rugby on offer!
2018 Commonwealth Games
Men’s tournament:
Craig Evans (Wales), Sam Grove-White (Scotland), Richard Haughton (England), Richard Kelly (New Zealand), Damon Murphy (Australia), Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa), Tevita Rokovereni (Fiji), Jordan Way (Australia)
Women’s tournament:
Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa), Sara Cox (England), Hollie Davidson (Scotland), Rose LaBrèche (Canada), Rebecca Mahoney (New Zealand)
Pro14 – round 20
Glasgow Warriors v Connacht
Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU, 13th competition game)
ARs: David Wilkinson (IRFU) & Jonny Erskine (IRFU)
TMO: Simon McDowell (IRFU)
Toyota Cheetahs v Munster
Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU, 21st competition game)
ARs: Lloyd Linton (SRU) & Ben Crouse (SARU)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (SARU)
Ulster v Ospreys
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU, 34th competition game)
AR1: Joy Neville (IRFU) & John Carvill (IRFU)
TMO: Kevin Beggs (IRFU)
Edinburgh v Scarlets
Referee: Stuart Berry (SARU, 11th competition game)
ARs: David Sutherland (SRU) & Dunx McClement (SRU)
TMO: Charles Samson (SRU)
Zebre v Dragons
Referee: George Clancy (IRFU, 101st competition game)
ARs: Nigel Correll (IRFU) & Manuel Bottino (FIR)
TMO: Leo Colgan (IRFU)
Leinster v Benetton
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU, 45th competition game)
ARs: Aled Evans (WRU) & Johnny Peek (IRFU)
TMO: Jon Mason (WRU)
Southern Kings v Cardiff Blues
Referee: Sean Gallagher (IRFU, 9th competition game)
ARs: Quinton Immelman (SARU) & Ruhan Meiring (SARU)
TMO: Johan Greeff (SARU)
Aviva Premiership – Round 20
Newcastle Falcons v Sale Sharks
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys (49th Premiership game)
ARs: Jake Makepeace & John Meredith
TMO: Trevor Fisher
Gloucester Rugby v Harlequins
Referee: Luke Pearce (74th Premiership game)
ARs: Anthony Woodthorpe & Jonathan Healy
TMO: Graham Hughes
Leicester Tigers v Northampton Saints
Referee: Matthew Carley (71st Premiership game)
ARs: Tom Foley & Paul Dix
TMO: Sean Davey
Wasps v Worcester Warriors
Referee: Ian Tempest (44th Premiership game)
ARs: Adam Leal & Wayne Falla
TMO: Stuart Terheege
London Irish v Exeter Chiefs
Referee: JP Doyle (151st Premiership game)
ARs: Hamish Smales & Nigel Carrick
TMO: David Sainsbury
Saracens v Bath
Referee: Karl Dickson (5th Premiership game)
ARs: Christophe Ridley & Peter Allan
TMO: Geoff Warren
RFU Greene King Championship
Bristol v Doncaster Knights
Referee: Greg Macdonald
ARs: Paul Burton & Robert Warburton
TMO: David Rose
Rotherham Titans v Yorkshire Carnegie
Referee: Dean Richards
ARs: William Burton & Matthew Daubney
Jersey Reds v Nottingham
Referee: Steve Lee
ARs: Phil Watters & Simon Park
Ealing Trailfinders v Hartpury College
Referee: Tim Wigglesworth
ARs: Simon Adams & Fergus Kirby
Bedford Blues v Cornish Pirates
Referee: Michael Hudson
ARs: Simon McConnell & Michael Patz
Super Rugby – round 9
Hurricanes v Chiefs
Referee: Jamie Nutbrown
ARs: Ben O’Keeffe & Cam Stone
TMO: Glenn Newman
Sunwolves v Blues
Referee: Nick Briant
ARs: Shuhei Kubo & Tasuku Kawahara
TMO: Minoru Fuji
Rebels v Jaguares
Referee: Nic Berry
ARS: Will Houston & Graham Cooper
TMO: Damien Mitchelmore
Highlanders v Brumbies
Referee: Mike Fraser
ARs: Ben O’Keeffe & James Doleman
TMO: Glenn Newman
Waratahs v Reds
Referee: Angus Gardner
ARs: Marius van der Westhuizen & James Leckie
TMO: George Ayoub
Sharks v Bulls
Referee: Egon Seconds
ARs: AJ Jacobs & Cwengile Jadezweni
TMO: Marius Jonker
Top 14, Round 24
Toulon v Montpellier
Referee: Romain Poite
ARs: Cyril Lafon & Patrick Pechambert
TMO: Mourad Zitouni
Pau v Agen
Referee: Tual Trainini
ARs: Jonathan Castaignède & Éric Soulan
TMO: Éric Gauzins
Oyonnax v Brive
Referee: Pascal Gaüzère
ARs: Ludovic Cayre & Bruno Gabaldon
TMO: Éric Briquet-Campin
Clermont v Bordeaux-Bègles
Referee: Cédric Marchat
ARs: François Bouzac & Laurent Breil
TMO: Eric Gonthier
Lyon v Stade Français
Referee: Laurent Cardona
ARs: Alexandre Ruiz & Thierry Guilloton
TMO: Maxime Chalon
La Rochelle v Castres
Referee: Jérôme Garcès
ARs: Jonathan Dufort & Akim Hadj Bachir
TMO: Philippe Bonhoure
Toulouse v Racing 92
Referee: Mathieu Raynal
ARs: Sébastien Minery & S Hebert
TMO: Laurent Sclafer
South Africa: Varsity Cup Final
Maties v Pukke
Referee: AJ Jacobs
ARs: Cwengile Jadezweni & Stephan Geldenhuys
TMO: Shaun Veldsman
