As we brought to you yesterday, there are some big finals in the Southern hemisphere this weekend, but elsewhere there’s plenty of action to keep rugby minds interested. Japan continues to build their pre-RWC capabilities by hosting the Bledisloe Cup. Frenchman, Romain Poite is the referee for the third New Zealand v Australia match this autumn.
The PRO14 (round 7) and Top 14 (round 8) are back after the European break. In England, the Premiership proper has another few weeks off, but in its place, the RFU Premiership Cup is being held. This replaces the Anglo-Welsh Cup of previous seasons and gives the younger squad members a chance to shine. Similarly, the next level of referees also get some development games so there are some new names to look out for in Premiership action.
The Championship Cup in the English second tier doesn’t start for a few weeks yet – they’ll be trailling a lower tackle height in that competition, but for this weekend, it’s business as usual.
Enjoy your refereeing this weekend!
Bledisloe Cup
New Zealand v Australia (at Nissan Stadium, Yokohama)
Referee: Romain Poite (Fra)
ARs: Marius van der Westhuizen (SA) & Rasta Rasivhenge (SA)
TMO: Marius Jonker (SA)
Japan v World XV
Referee: Brendon Pickerill (NZ)
ARs: Mike Fraser (NZ) & Damon Murphy (Aus)
TMO: Aaron Paterson (NZ)
RFU Premiership Cup
Worcester Warriors v Sale Sharks
Referee: Adam Leal
ARs: Lionel Spooner & Wayne Falla
Northampton Saints v Bristol Bears
Referee: Simon Harding
ARs: Darryl Chapman & Simon McConnell
Bath Rugby v Harlequins
Referee: Greg Macdonald
ARs: Clare Daniels & Philip Watters
Gloucester Rugby v Wasps
Referee: Michael Hudson
ARs: Gregory Garner & Robert Warburton
Saracens v Leicester Tigers
Referee: Christophe Ridley
ARs: Dean Richards & Roy Maybank
TMO: Keith Lewis
Newcastle Falcons v Exeter Chiefs
Referee: Andrew Jackson
ARs: Tim Wigglesworth & Jamie Leahy
TMO: Trevor Fisher
Greene King Championship
Nottingham v Ealing Trailfinders
Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe
ARs: Simon Adams & Simon Park
Jersey Reds v Richmond
Referee: Karl Dickson
ARs: Bill Burton & Nick Marshall
London Irish v Cornish Pirates
Referee: Ian Tempest
ARs: Ian Bibey & Nigel Carrick
London Scottish v Doncaster Knights
Referee: Hamish Smales
ARs: Peter Brunt & Paul Burton
Bedford Blues v Hartpury College
Referee: Matthew Carley
ARs: Gareth Holsgrove & Michael Patz
Coventry v Yorkshire Carnegie
Referee: Matthew O’Grady
ARs: Shane Lewis & Steve Lee
TMO: Geoff Warren
PRO 14
Southern Kings v Scarlets
Referee: John Lacey (Ire)
ARs: Stuart Berry (SA) & Paul Mente (SA)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman (SA)
Ulster v Dragons
Referee: Marius Mitrea (Ita)
ARs: Gianluca Gnecchi (Ita) & John Carvill (Ire)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ire)
Zebre v Edinburgh
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ire)
ARs: Sean Gallagher (Ire) & Andrea Piardi (Ita)
TMO: Stefano Roscini (Ita)
Ospreys v Connacht
Referee: Mike Adamson (Sco)
ARs: Sam Grove-White (Sco) & Mike English (Wal)
TMO: Neil Paterson (Sco)
Benetton v Leinster
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wal)
ARs: Craig Evans (Wal) & Andrea Spadoni (Ita)
TMO: Alan Falzone (Ita)
Munster v Glasgow Warriors
Referee: Dan Jones (Wal)
ARs: Elgan Williams (Wal) & Chris Busby (Ire)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ire)
Cheetahs v Cardiff Blues
Referee: Lloyd Linton (Sco)
ARs: Quinton Immelman (SA) & Ruhan Meiring (SA)
TMO: Johan Greeff (SA)
Top 14, Round 8
Clermont v Castres
Referee: Mathieu Raynal
ARs: Adrien Descottes & Sébastien Hebert
TMO: Éric Gauzins
Racing 92 v Pau
Referee: Tual Trainini
ARs: François Bouzac & Jean-Claude Labarbe
TMO: Cédric Marchat
Perpignan v Toulouse
Referee: Thomas Charabas
ARs: Julien Castaignède & Patrick Pechambert
TMO: Ludovic Sclafer
Agen v Grenoble
Referee: Alexandre Ruiz
ARs: Luc Ramos & Arnaud Blondel
TMO: Philippe Bonhoure
Stade Français v Montpellier
Referee: Jérôme Garcès
ARs: Ludovic Cayre & Thierry Guilloton
TMO: Denis Grenouillet
Bordeaux-Bègles v Lyon
Referee: Vincent Blasco Baque
ARs: Maxime Chalon & Jean-Luc Rebollal
TMO: Éric Gonthier
Toulon v La Rochelle
Referee: Pascal Gaüzère
ARs: Jonathan Dufort & Frédéric Chazal
TMO: Patrick Dellac
Currie Cup Final – South Africa
DHL Western Province v Cell C Sharks
Referee: Jaco Peyper
ARs: AJ Jacobs & Cwengile Jadezweni
TMO: Shaun Veldsman
SA Rugby U21 Championship Final
Vodacom Blue Bulls v Xerox Golden Lions
Referee: Ben Crouse
ARs; Divan Uys & Sindile Ngcese
TMO: Pro Legoete
SA Rugby U19 Championship Final
Vodacom Blue Bulls v Cell C Sharks
Referee: Griffin Colby
ARs: Divan Uys & Sindile Ngcese
TMO: Pro Legoete
NRC Final – Australia
Fiji Druas v Queensland Country (Churchill Park, Latouka)
Referee: Nic Berry
ARs: Jordan Way& Aaron Pook
TMO: Tevita Rokovereni
Mitre 10 Cup Premiership Final – New Zealand
Auckland v Canterbury
Referee: Glen Jackson
ARs: Cam Stone & Jamie Bell
TMO: Jonathan Paterson
Mitre 10 Cup Championship Final
Waikato v Otago
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
ARs: Angus Mabey & Marcus Playle
TMO: Ben Deakin
Mitre 10 Heartland Championship – Mead Cup Final
South Canterbury v Thames Valley
Referee: Jamie Nutbrown
ARs: Nick Webster & Craig Kingan
TMO: Chris Hart
Mitre 10 Heartland Championship – Lochore Cup Final
Horowhenua Kapiti v Wairarapa Bush
Referee: Richard Kelly
ARs: Nick Hogan & Aaron Conlon
TMO: Carl Baker
