- Pierre Brousset (France), Andrea Piardi (Italy) and Christophe Ridley (England) to make Rugby Championship debuts
- Piardi becomes the first Italian official to referee in TRC
- Four ARs make debuts – Hollie Davidson (Scotland), Craig Evans (Wales), Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy) and Damián Schneider (Argentina)
- Four TMOs will also have their first Rugby Championships – Eric Gauzins (France), Richard Kelly (New Zealand), Stuart Terheege and Ian Tempest (both England)
- Luke Pearce (England) is the most experienced referee on the panel with 52 tests
- O’Keeffe and Gardner to become most capped referees from NZ and Aus respectively
World Rugby has revealed the match official teams for the 2024 Rugby Championships which kicks off next weekend.
Debuts
New to the TRC are referees Christophe Ridley (Eng), Andrea Piardi (Ita) and Pierre Brousset (Fra) who make whistling debuts after featuring in the Six Nations earlier this year and summer internationals too. Four ARs – including Hollie Davidson of Scotland – will also appear. Davidson becomes the first female AR in the comp and joins Craig Evans, Gianluca Gnecchi and Damian Schneider on the roster. Davidson has two appointments in the two Australia matches v South Africa in Brisbane on 10 August and Perth on 17 August.
These appointments align with new playing talent across the four participating Unions as everyone begins to look at the next four year RWC cycle. RWC 2027 will see an expanded 24-team event in Australia with a reimagined men’s international calendar in between.
World Rugby’s Chair of the Men’s High Performance Match Officials Selectors, Brett Robinson said, “The new strategic plan that we have in place is designed to ensure that we promote and support greater depth in our team, and this selection is the embodiment of that plan in action.
“There are 11 debutants within the selection, which is exciting. For them, and us, this is a continuation of a journey where the goal lies beyond Rugby World Cup 2027. For others, this is about arriving in Australia in peak form. For all, we are here to help them achieve their goals, and that is very exciting. Congratulations to all selected.”
World Rugby High Performance 15s Match Official Manager, Joël Jutge added, “In this new, four-year cycle we have the opportunity to expand our group of match officials, arriving at Rugby World Cup 2027 and beyond to 2031 with a deeper talent pool. Some will be experiencing The Rugby Championship for the first time, and that is important to our overall goals.”
“We now have the structure and expertise to help these men and women be the best they can be. Our on-field approach has been shaped by teams and match officials in tandem, meaning that there is a good understanding of the ‘critical few’ focus areas. As we drive forward and enable the newer members of the team to gain experience, all should remember that we are implementing a longer-term strategy within a reshaped international calendar from 2026.”
O’Keeffe and Gardner to top national lists
Should the appointments below play through as planned, then two referees will become their most capped internationals of their own Unions. Including his Pacific Nations Cup appointments, Ben O’Keeffe will referee Test 47 in the TRC, overtaking Paul Honiss to take the lead in New Zealand. In Australia, Angus Gardner will jump above Stuart Dickinson as their most capped referee, with 48 tests under his belt. Congrats to both and thanks to Chris Jansen for this information.
Match official appointments – TRC 2024
Round 1 – Sat 10 Aug 2024
Australia v South Africa
Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Referee: Luke Pearce (Eng)
ARs: Paul Williams (NZ) & Hollie Davidson (Sco)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wal)
New Zealand v Argentina
Sky Stadium, Wellington
Referee: Angus Gardner (Aus)
ARs: Nic Berry (Aus) & Andrea Piardi (Ita)
TMO: Brett Cronan (Aus)
Round 2 – Sat 17 Aug 2024
New Zealand v Argentina
Eden Park, Auckland
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Ita)
ARs: Angus Gardner (Aus) & Nic Berry (Aus)
TMO: Marius Jonker (SA)
Australia v South Africa
Optus Stadium, Perth
Referee: Paul Williams (NZ)
ARs: Luke Pearce (Eng) & Hollie Davidson (Sco)
TMO: Richard Kelly (NZ)
Round 3 – Sat 31 Aug 2024
South Africa v New Zealand
Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ire)
ARs: Matt Carley (Eng) & Jordan Way (Aus)
TMO: Brian McNiece (Ire)
Argentina v Australia
Estadio Jorge Hirschi, Buenos Aires
Referee: James Doleman (NZ)
ARs: Ben O’Keeffe (NZ) & Pierre Brousset (Fra)
TMO: Glenn Newman (NZ)
Round 4 – Sat 7 Sept 2024
South Africa v New Zealand
DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Referee: Matt Carley (Eng)
ARs: Andrew Brace (Ire) & Jordan Way (Aus)
TMO: Ian Tempest (Eng)
Argentina v Australia
Stadium Estanislao Lopez, Santa Fe
Referee: Pierre Brousset (Fra)
ARs: Ben O’Keeffe (NZ) & James Doleman (NZ)
TMO: Marius Jonker (SA)
Round 5 – Sat 21 Sept 2024
Australia v New Zealand
Accor Stadium, Sydney
Referee: Karl Dickson (Eng)
ARs: Nika Amashukeli (Geo) & Damian Schneider (Arg)
TMO: Stuart Terheege (Eng)
Argentina v South Africa
Estadio Unico Madre Ciudades, Santaigo
Referee: Christophe Ridley (Eng)
ARs: Matt Carley (Eng) & Gianluca Gnecchi (Ita)
TMO: Ian Tempest (Eng)
Round 6 – Sat 28 Sept 2024
New Zealand v Australia
Sky Stadium, Wellington
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Geo)
ARs: Karl Dickson (Eng) & Damian Schneider (Arg)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (Fra)
South Africa v Argentina
Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (NZ)
ARs: James Doleman (NZ) & Craig Evans (Wal)
TMO: Glenn Newman (NZ)
