World Rugby has unveiled the eighteen match officials and six TMOs from across seven Unions who will take charge of the twelve matches and Bledisloe Cup that make up the 2018 Rugby Championship.
The competition runs between August and October 2018 and kicks off with Jaco Peyper officiating the opening game when Australia host the title holders, New Zealand in Sydney on 18 August.
With just over one year to go until Rugby World Cup 2019, The Rugby Championship will play a fundamental role in continued development and assessment of elite match officials.
World Rugby Match Officials Selection Committee Chairman Anthony Buchanan said “With the Rugby World Cup on the horizon, we are striving to ensure that, once again, we have a top-class group of experienced officials ready to perform at the highest level in Japan 2019.
“The Rugby Championship is an exciting tournament that brings with it a suitable environment for reviewing match official performances as they officiate high pressure and intense Test rugby matches.
“An experienced group of match officials and TMOs have been appointed for this year’s Championship with the focus on clear and consistent decision-making from officials as teams compete for the coveted Rugby Championship title.”
Commenting on the appointments, RugbyReferee.net says, “After a summer international window which saw World Rugby give some top tier game time to some up-and-coming officials, and some Tier 2 sides experience the top level referees, these TRC appointments revert to a safe set of appointments – a clear signal towards Japan 2019.”
Australia v New Zealand
ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia
18 Aug 2018
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
AR1: Wayne Barnes (England)
AR2: Luke Pearce (England)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
South Africa v Argentina
King’s Park, Durban, South Africa
18 Aug 2018
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zelaand)
AR1: Angus Gardner (Australia)
AR2: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
New Zealand v Australia
Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand
25 Sep 2018
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
AR1: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
AR2: Luke Pearce (England)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Argentina v South Africa
Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, Mendoza, Argentina
25 Aug 2018
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
AR1: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zelaand)
AR2: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
New Zealand v Argentina
Trafalgar Park, Nelson, New Zealand
8 Sep 2018
Referee: Pascal Gauzere (France)
AR1: Nigel Owens (Wales)
AR2: Nic Berry (Australia)
TMO: Rowan Kitt (England)
Australia v South Africa
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia
8 Sep 2018
Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
AR1: John Lacey (Ireland)
AR2: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
New Zealand v South Africa
Westpac Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand
15 Sep 2018
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
AR1: Pascal Gauzere (France)
AR2: Nic Berry (Australia)
TMO: Rowan Kitt (England)
Australia v Argentina
Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast, Australia
15 Sep 2018
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
AR1: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
AR2: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
South Africa v Australia
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
29 Sep 2018
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)
AR1: Wayne Barnes (England)
AR2: Matthew Carley (England)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
Argentina v New Zealand
Estadio Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires, Argentina
29 Sep 2018
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
AR1: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
AR2: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
TMO: David Grashoff (England)
South Africa v New Zealand
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, South Africa
6 Oct 2018
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
AR1: Jérôme Garcès (France)
AR2: Matthew Carley (England)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
Argentina v Australia
Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena, Salta, Argentina
6 Oct 2018
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
AR1: Mathieu Raynal (France)
AR2: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
TMO: David Grashoff (England)
Australia v New Zealand
TBC, Japan
27 Oct 2018
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
AR1: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
AR2: Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
