- Thirty referees will take charge of 49 men’s international matches as World Rugby’s new strategic approach to the identification and development of match officials advances
- Twenty-four nations are represented across 82 match officials selected for June-July internationals, the World Rugby U20 Championship and U20 Trophy and the Pacific Nations Cup
- France’s Mathieu Raynal to referee his 50th and final test in July as he steps down after a stellar career
- Australia’s Nic Berry to referee the Pacific Nations Cup final in Japan on 21 September
- Scotland’s Hollie Davidson and Argentina’s Damian Schneider to referee three matches after officiating in the World Rugby U20 Championship in 2023
- Panels named for World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa and U20 Trophy in Scotland
The Emirates World Rugby Match Officials have been confirmed for the men’s June-July international window, the revamped Pacific Nations Cup and the World Rugby U20 Championship and U20 Trophy competitions.
Thirty referees have been selected to take charge of 49 men’s internationals across the window and Pacific Nations Cup with a further 16 named on the panels for the U20 Championship and U20 Trophy.
Twenty-four nations – from Argentina to Zimbabwe – feature across the appointments as World Rugby advances its strategic pathway to identify, enable and develop high-performance talent in preparation for future Rugby World Cups.
Luc Ramos (France) will take charge of the opening match of the June-July window, between Japan and England in Tokyo on 22 June, with Nic Berry (Australia) to referee the last match, the Pacific Nations Cup final in Osaka, Japan, on 21 September.
Berry and Hollie Davidson (Scotland) each have three tests in total with the latter taking charge of Canada v Romania on 12 July, South Africa v Portugal on 20 July and Japan v USA in the Pacific Nations Cup on 7 September.
Davidson is one of three women appointed to test matches with Kat Roche (USA) and Precious Pazani (Zimbabwe) selected as assistant referees. Roche will be assistant referee for Canada v Romania and Canada v Japan on 25 August, with Pazani selected for Namibia v Portugal on 13 July.
Meanwhile, Mathieu Raynal (France) will referee his 50th and final test, having already announced his retirement. Raynal will be in the middle for Chile v Scotland in Santiago on 20 July to become the fourth Frenchman and 13th official in total to referee 50 tests.
Kahlil Harrison (USA) is named as assistant referee for Canada v Scotland on 6 July having recently been one of nine at the Match Officials Academy in Stellenbosch, South Africa, a key development platform for the next generation of aspiring international match officials.
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VIEW PACIFIC NATIONS CUP APPOINTMENTS >>
The World Rugby U20 Championship is a key and proven pathway for match officials with Davidson and Damian Schneider (Argentina) having been involved in 2023, the latter taking charge of the title decider between France and Ireland. Nine referees have been selected for the 2024 edition, which takes place in South Africa from 29 June to 19 July.
Among them are Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa), the joint most-capped female referee in test history, with compatriot Morné Ferreira, Reuben Keane (Australia) and Takehito Namekawa (Japan) all returning for a second tournament after officiating in 2023.
VIEW U20 CHAMPIONSHIP PANEL >>
Eight officials from as many nations have also been selected for the U20 Trophy, which takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland, from 2-17 July, including Ru Campbell from the host nation, the promising 21-year-old Furuse Katsuki (Japan) and Caua Ricardo (Brazil) and Sylvain Mané (Senegal) who also officiated in the 2023 tournament in Kenya.
Men’s Emirates World Rugby High Performance Match Officials Selectors Chairman, Brett Robinson said: “As rugby grows across every continent, we must ensure that we have the strategy, people and structures in place to identify, develop and support the next generation of elite match officials. The new strategic plan that we have in place does just that, and this selection is the embodiment of that plan in action.
“Within the team, a record 24 nations are represented. For some this is the beginning 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: “Like the teams, we’re entering a four-year Rugby World Cup cycle which should allow us to expand our existing group of match officials, giving each of them more opportunities. The goal of Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 is obviously on our minds, as is the British and Irish Lions tour and the Nations Championship debut, and we also have an eye on Rugby World Cup 2031.
“Each of the team are at different stages of their journey, but alongside our Match Officials Head Coaches and Talent Identification Manager, we have the structure and expertise to help these men and women be the best they can be. We are also using the experiences of France 2023, the achievements and learnings, to drive us forward, and enable the newer members of the team to gain experience knowing that we are implementing a longer-term strategy.”
