Fourteen referees, six assistant referees and seven Television Match Officials (TMOs) have been announced for the 2019 Guinness 6 Nations Championship matches.
The highly anticipated Six Nations Championship (with its new sponsor) gets underway on 1 February 2019 when France face Wales in Paris. England’s Wayne Barnes (right) referees the opening encounter.
Reigning champions Ireland kick off the following day against England in Dublin with Jerome Garces of France selected to referee the match.
The group of 14 referees selected for the 6 Nations Championship come from six unions, including four French officials (Jerome Garces, Romain Poite, Mathieu Raynal and Pascal Gauzere), three from England (Wayne Barnes, Luke Pearce and Matthew Carley), three New Zealenders (Glen Jackson, Ben O’Keefe and Paul Williams).
Angus Gardner, recently announced World Rugby Referee of the Year for 2018, fellow Australian Nic Berry, Nigel Owens representing Wales and Jaco Peyper from South Africa complete the line-up. Berry is the only referee selected to take charge of two matches, he will oversee both France v Scotland and England v Italy.
With Rugby World Cup 2019 on the horizon, match official performances over the period will be taken into account when the World Rugby Match Officials Selection Committee meets at the end of March to make the appointments for rugby’s showcase event.
Rugby World Cup 2019 selection pool
From the 14 referees participating in the 6 Nations Championship, 12 will be selected to go to Rugby World Cup, along with seven assistant referees and four TMO’s. The match officials selected for the Rugby World Cup will participate in a preparation camp in Japan during the month of July to ensure they, like the players and teams, are fully primed for rugby’s greatest showpiece.
World Rugby Match Officials Selection Committee Chairman Anthony Buchanan said, “The 6 Nations Championship will provide a very important platform for our Rugby World Cup 2019 preparations, with high-intensity matches in front of exceptionally engaged, atmospheric crowds, giving our match officials a great opportunity to put into practice the hard work undertaken at our referee training and preparation camps.
“We have a very dedicated, experienced and talented group of match officials and there will be some very tough decisions to make regarding Rugby World Cup selection after the 6 Nations performances have been appraised. The selectors are pleased with progress and are looking for consistency of clear and accurate decision-making in the biggest international fixtures and competitions, including the 6 Nations.
“Our goal is to arrive at Rugby World Cup 2019 with the
Guinness 6 Nations Referees, Assistant Referees and TMOs
France v Wales
1 Feb 2019, 9.00pm
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
ARs: Andrew Brace (Ireland) & Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
TMO: Rowan Kitt (England)
Scotland v Italy
2 Feb 2019, 2.15pm
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
ARs: Mathieu Raynal (France) & Shuhei Kubo (Japan)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Ireland v England
2 Feb 2019, 4.45pm
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)
ARs: Romain Poite (France) & Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
Scotland v Ireland
9 Feb 2019, 2.15pm
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
ARs: Pascal Gauzere (France) & Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO: Rowan Kitt (England)
Italy v Wales
9 Feb 2019, 5.45pm
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
ARs: Wayne Barnes (England) & Shuhei Kubo (Japan)
TMO: David Grashoff (England)
England v France
10 Feb 2019, 3.00pm
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
ARs: Andrew Brace (Ireland) & Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
France v Scotland
23 Feb 2019, 3.15pm
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)
ARs: Nigel Owens (Wales) & Andrew Brace (Ireland)
TMO: Rowan Kitt (England)
Wales v England
23 Feb 2019, 4.45pm
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
ARs: Jérôme Garcès (France) & Alexandre Ruiz (France)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Italy v Ireland
24 Feb 2019, 4.00pm
Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
ARs: Wayne Barnes (England) & Karl Dickson (England)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
Scotland v Wales
9 Mar 2019, 2.15pm
Referee: Pascal Gauzere (France)
ARs: Luke Pearce (England) & Alexandre Ruiz (France)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
England v Italy
9 Mar 2019, 4.45pm
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)
ARs: Paul Williams (New Zealand) & Andrew Brace (Ireland)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Ireland v France
10 Mar 2019, 3.00pm
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zelaand)
ARs: Angus Gardner (Australia) & Karl Dickson (England)
TMO: Ben Skeen (New Zealand)
Italy v France
16 Mar 2019, 1.30pm
Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
ARs: Nigel Owens (Wales) & Andrew Brace (Ireland)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
Wales v Ireland
16 Mar 2019, 2.45pm
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
ARs: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zelaand) & Karl Dickson (England)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
England v Scotland
16 Mar 2019, 5.00pm
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
ARs: Jérôme Garcès (France) & Alexandre Ruiz (France)
TMO: Ben Skeen (New Zealand)
