photo: World Rugby

World Cup Match Official short-list confirmed

World Rugby referee boss Alain Rolland has confirmed that the 14 senior match officials set to run the rule over the Six Nations Championship will serve as the short-list for final World Cup selection. The list will be trimmed to 12 who will ultimately stand in the middle for the 2019 tournament in Japan.

The senior officials have been selected from France (4), New Zealand (3), England (3), Australia (2), South Africa (1), and Wales (1). Five referees have yet to appear at a World Cup with both Wayne Barnes and Nigel Owens set to take part in their fourth World Cup. Both have confirmed their intention to retire at the end of the 2019 tournament.

Each of the 14 nominated referees has been assigned to one Six Nations match with the exception of Australia’s Nic Berry who has been given two chances to prove himself. Final World Cup selection will come at the end of the tournament. The 2015 tournament featured 12 referees with 7 assistants, but with 6 assistants nominated for the Six Nations it appears likely that the 2019 tournament will have 8 assistants named.

Six different nations are represented in the Six Nations assistant list – one each from Argentina, England, France, Ireland, Japan, and New Zealand. Argentina’s Federico Anselmi is the only Americas representative and the only assistant with prior World Cup experience.

As well as the 14 referees and 6 assistants there are 7 television match officials named, with that list expected to be pared to four, the number used at the 2015 tournament. Four have served in previous World Cups with South Africa’s Marius Jonker the only TMO with senior referee experience at World Rugby’s flagship tournament.

REFEREES

NAME UNION AGE WORLD CUPS
Nic Berry ARU 34
Angus Gardner ARU 34 2015 (AR)
Jérôme Garcès FFR 45 2011 (AR), 2015
Pascal Gaüzère FFR 41 2015
Romain Poite FFR 43 2011, 2015
Mathieu Raynal FFR 37 2015 (AR)
Glen Jackson NZRU 43 2015
Ben O’Keeffe NZRU 29
Paul Williams NZRU 33
Wayne Barnes RFU 39 2007, 2011, 2015
Matthew Carley RFU 33
Luke Pearce RFU 31
Jaco Peyper SARU 38 2015
Nigel Owens WRU 47 2007, 2011, 2015

ASSISTANT REFEREES

NAME UNION AGE WORLD CUPS
Alexandre Ruiz FFR 31
Andrew Brace IRFU 30
Shuhei Kubo JRFU 37
Brendon Pickerill NZRU 29
Karl Dickson RFU 36
Federico Anselmi UAR 36 2015 (AR)

TELEVISION MATCH OFFICIALS

NAME UNION AGE WORLD CUPS
Simon McDowell IRFU 50 2007 (AR), 2011 (AR)
Glenn Newman NZRU 43
Ben Skeen NZRU 35 2015 (TMO)
David Grashoff RFU 64
Graham Hughes RFU 59 2011 (TMO), 2015 (TMO)
Rowan Kitt RFU 50
Marius Jonker SARU 50 2007

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Formally created in June 2015, this website's goal is to increase media exposure of the Tier 2 rugby nations, and create a hub with a focus on the stories of rugby in the Americas - North, Central and South.

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