It’s the grande finale of the World 7s series and the Premiership in England this weekend, as well as the start of the summer internationals – a busy weekend for referees everywhere!
Wayne Barnes (pic on middle) takes the honours for his 9th Premiership final in what will also be his 218th match in England’s top tier. On Sunday, Nigel Owens (pic right) takes charge of the start of the summer internationals as the Barbarians take their traditional opening slot against England, with both men’s and women’s matches taking place for the first time. Sara Cox (pic on left) referees the ladies fixture.
In Super Rugby, there’s a seven-match round starting in Auckland where Mike Fraser will be in charge of the Blues versus Bulls clash which is a must-win for the home team. The same evening Paul Williams will referee the Australian derby between the Rebels and Waratahs with defeat for the visitors shutting the door on their Finals aspirations.
There are five matches on Saturday with proceedings starting once again in Tokyo where the Sunwolves face the Brumbies who will be keen to maintain their top position in the Australian Conference. Argentina’s Federico Anselmi will be in charge, while Kiwi referee Ben O’Keeffe has the whistle for the NZ Conference derby between the Chiefs and Crusaders in Suva, Fiji. In Brisbane, the Reds play the Jaguares, the leaders of the South African Conference, who are looking for their third win on the road. The experienced Jaco Peyper is the referee.
The weekend closes with two crucial matches in Africa. The Sharks host the Hurricanes, both second in their respective Conferences, in Durban where Australian Nic Berry in Charge. The final match sees an all South African clash between the Lions and Stormers who sit fourth and fifth respectively in the conference with much to play for, especially as only six points separate first from fifth in the Conference. The referee is Marius van der Westhuizen.
Elsewhere, there’s important play-off games in France and the Major League Rugby season heads towards a conclusion.
Good luck to everyone involved in matches this weekend
Gallagher Premiership Final
Exeter Chiefs Official vs Saracens
Referee: Wayne Barnes (218th match, 9th final)
ARs: Matthew Carley & Tom Foley
TMO: Graham Hughes
Citing Officer: Shaun Gallagher
Super Rugby – Round 16
Blues v Bulls
Referee: Mike Fraser
ARs: Brendon Pickerill & Dan Waenga
TMO: Ben Skeen
Rebels v Waratahs
Referee: Paul Williams
ARs: Egon Seconds & Jaco Peyper
TMO: James Leckie
Sunwolves v Brumbies
Referee: Federico Anselmi
ARs: Nick Briant & Shuhei Kubo
TMO: Minoru Fuji
Chiefs v Crusaders
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe
ARs: Glen Jackson & James Munro
TMO: Shane McDermott
Reds v Jaguares
Referee: Jaco Peyper
ARs: Egon Seconds & Paul Williams
TMO: James Leckie
Sharks v Hurricanes
Referee: Nic Berry
ARs: AJ Jacobs & Divan Uys
TMO: Willie Vos
Lions v Stormers
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
ARs: Cwengile Jadezweni & Stefan Geldenhuys
TMO: Marius Jonker
Summer internationals
England v Barbarians
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
ARs: Alex Ruiz (France) & Andrew Brace (Ireland)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)
England Women v Barbarians Women
Referee: Sara Cox (England)
ARs: Nikki O’Donnell (England) & Laura Pettingale (England)
TMO: Claire Hodnett (England)
World Rugby 7s – Paris
Men’s competition: Paulo Duarte (Portugal), Craig Evans (Wales), Sam Grove-White (Scotland), Richard Haughton (England)), Richard Kelly (New Zealand), Damon Murphy (Australia), Jérémy Rozier (France) and Damian Schneider (Argentina)
Major League Rugby
Utah Warriors v Houston Sabercats
Referee: Lex Weiner
ARs: Robin Kaluzniak & Kage Green
Toronto Arrows v Rugby United New York
Referee: Elgan Williams (WRU)
ARs: Moe Chaudhry & Pete Pender
San Diego Legion v New Orleans Gold
Referee: Scott Green
ARs: Paul-Henri Courbier & Austin Reed
Seattle Seawolves v Austin Elite
Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe (RFU)
ARs: Derek Summers & Denny Russell
Top 14 Play-offs
Racing 92 v La Rochelle (to play Clermont)
Referee: Mathieu Raynal
ARs: Ludovic Cayre & Vincent Blasco Baqué
TMO: Philippe Bonhoure
Lyon v Montpellier (to play Toulouse)
Referee: Alexandre Ruiz
ARs: Maxime Chalon & Cédric Marchat
TMO: Denis Grenouillet
