The International Rugby Board has announced the match official appointments for upcoming November internationals.
Appointments were made by the IRB Match Official Selection Committee at its recent meeting in Dublin and follow a detailed review of recent performances during the June international window, The Rugby Championship and other matches.
South Africa’s Craig Joubert will kick off a busy month of Tests as teams and officials begin the countdown to Rugby World Cup 2015, when he takes charge of the New Zealand v USA fixture at Soldier Field in Chicago on November 1.
Steve Walsh will be the man in the middle for England’s match with the Springboks and Nigel Owens will officiate at Stade de France when Les Bleus take on Australia, as well as refereeing New Zealand’s visit to Twickenham. Wayne Barnes has been appointed to Wales v New Zealand in Cardiff, while Ireland v Australia in Dublin will be refereed by Glen Jackson. Jérôme Garces will be in charge when the Wallabies take on England and will be in Padova on November 22 to referee Italy v South Africa.
IRB High Performance Match Officials Manager Joël Jutge said: “The selection system allows for movement in and out of the match official panel based on form. It rewards the top performers and young referees who have graduated through the performance pathway.”
“As always, referees are accountable for the quality of their overall performances and these appointments have been made following careful consideration of all recent matches. With Rugby World Cup 2015 less than a year away, performances are being assessed and scrutinised with that tournament in mind.”
The IRB Match Official Selection Committee, chaired by John Jeffrey, comprises former elite referees Lyndon Bray (SANZAR), Andrew Cole (SANZAR), Donal Courtney (European Professional Club Rugby), Clayton Thomas (Six Nations) and IRB High Performance Match Officials Manager Joël Jutge.
The committee meets four times a year and makes selections for the next international window with all performances reviewed in advance of selection.
Match Officials:
1 November 2014
USA vs New Zealand
Soldier Field, Chicago
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Brian Assmus (Canada), tba (Canada)
Japan vs Maori All Blacks
Noevir Stadium, Kobe
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant Referees: Angus Gardner (Australia), James Leckie (Australia)
TMO: George Ayoub (Australia)
Barbarians vs Australia
Twickenham
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
2 November 2014
Championship XV (England) vs Canada
Sixways Stadium, Worcester
Referee: tba (England)
7 November 2014
Canada vs Namibia
Parc Eiras, Colwyn Bay, Wales
Referee: Stuart Berry (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Neil Paterson (Scotland), tba (Wales)
8 November 2014
Japan vs Maori All Blacks
Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Luke Pearce (England), James Leckie (Australia)
TMO: George Ayoub (Australia)
England vs New Zealand
Twickenham
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Jérôme Garcès (France), Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Wales vs Australia
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), JP Doyle (England)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
Italy vs Samoa
Stadio Cino e Lilio Del Duca, Ascoli Piceno
Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)
Assistant Referees: John Lacey (Ireland), Greg Garner (England)
TMO: Gareth Simmonds (Wales)
Georgia vs Tonga
Mikheil Meshki Stadium, Tbilisi
Referee: Pascal Gauzère (France)
Assistant Referees: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland), Vlad Iordachescu (Romania)
TMO: Carlo Damasco ((Italy)
Ireland vs South Africa
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant Referees: Mathieu Raynal (France), Alexandre Ruiz (France)
TMO: Jim Yuille (Scotland)
Scotland vs Argentina
Murrayfield
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees: George Clancy (Ireland), Marius Mitrea ((Italy)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)
France vs Fiji
Le Nouveau Stade Velodrome, Marseille
Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Mike Fraser (New Zealand), Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO: Stefano Pennè ((Italy)
Romania vs USA
Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf, Bucharest
Referee: Leighton Hodges (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Ian Davies (Wales), Neil Hennessy (Wales)
TMO: Marshall Kilgore (Ireland)
Hong Kong vs Russia
Hong Kong Football Club
Referee: Akihisa Aso (Japan)
Assistant Referees: Shuhei Kubo (Japan), Takashi Harada (Japan)
14 November 2014
Samoa vs Canada
Stade de la Rabine, Vannes
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland), Alexandre Ruiz (France)
TMO: Geoff Warren (England)
French Barbarians vs Namibia
Stade Felix Mayol, Toulon
Referee: Leighton Hodges (Wales)
Assistant Referees: tba (France)
TMO: Iain Ramage (Scotland)
15 November 2014
Wales vs Fiji
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Referee: Pascal Gauzère (France)
Assistant Referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
TMO: Carlo Damasco ((Italy)
England vs South Africa
Twickenham
Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Jérôme Garcès (France), Nick Briant (New Zealand)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)
Italy vs Argentina
Stadio Ferraris, Genoa
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Glen Jackson (New Zealand), Ian Davies (Wales)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Tonga vs USA
Kingsholm, Gloucester
Referee: Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland), Lloyd Linton (Scotland)
Scotland vs New Zealand
Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant Referees: John Lacey (Ireland), Stuart Berry (South Africa)
TMO: Gareth Simmonds (Wales)
France vs Australia
Stade de France, Paris
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Wayne Barnes (England), Marius Mitrea ((Italy)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
Romania vs Japan
Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf, Bucharest
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistant Referees: Greg Garner (England), tba (England)
TMO: Marshall Kilgore (Ireland)
Asia Pacific Dragons vs Maori All Blacks
Singapore National Stadium, Singapore
Referee: tba (Australia)
Hong Kong vs Russia
Hong Kong Football Club
Referee: Shuhei Kubo (Japan)
Assistant Referees: Akihisa Aso (Japan), Takashi Harada (Japan)
16 November 2014
Ireland vs Georgia
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant Referees: Luke Pearce (England), Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO: Jim Yuille (Scotland)
21 November 2014
Fiji vs USA
Stade de la Rabine, Vannes
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland), tbs (Ireland)
TMO: Iain Ramage (Scotland)
22 November 2014
England vs Samoa
Twickenham
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Mathieu Raynal (France), Leighton Hodges (Wales)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Scotland vs Tonga
Rugby Park, Kilmarnock
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistant Referees: Greg Garner (England), Marius Mitrea ((Italy)
TMO: Carlo Damasco ((Italy)
Italy vs South Africa
Stadio Euganeo, Padua
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant Referees: Pascal Gauzère (France), Alexandre Ruiz (France)
TMO: Gareth Simmonds (Wales)
Ireland vs Australia
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)
Wales vs New Zealand
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees: Craig Joubert (South Africa), Luke Pearce (England)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
France vs Argentina
Stade de France
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Steve Walsh (Australia), Stuart Berry (South Africa)
TMO: Jim Yuille (Scotland)
Romania vs Canada
Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf,Bucharest, Romania
Referee: Nick Briant (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland), Lloyd Linton (Scotland)
TMO: Geoff Warren (England)
Portugal vs Namibia
Estadio Nacional Jamor, Lisbon
Referee: Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
Assistant Referees: Giuseppe Vivarini ((Italy), Vlad Iordachescu (Romania)
23 November 2014
Georgia vs Japan
Mikheil Meshki Stadium, Tbilisi
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant Referees: Ian Davies (Wales), tba (France)
TMO: Stefano Pennè ((Italy)
29 November 2014
England vs Australia
Twickenham
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant Referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Mathieu Raynal (France)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Wales vs South Africa
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: George Clancy (Ireland), Pascal Gauzère (France)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)