Angus Gardner, with whom the Boks have had beef, will ref in Scotland match
23 August 2023 - 16:56
by LIAM DEL CARME
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South African referee Jaco Peyper. Picture: JEAN CATUFFE/GETTY IMAGES
SA’s Jaco Peyper will referee the Rugby World Cup 2023 opening match between hosts France and New Zealand at Stade de France on September 8.
Peyper, who will officiate at his third World Cup, will be assisted in the opening match by Karl Dickson (England) and Christophe Ridley (England) with Tom Foley (England) as the television match official (TMO).
The Springboks will have Australia’s Angus Gardner in charge of their opening match against Scotland in Marseille on September 10.
Nika Amashukeli and Jordan Way will assist him, while Ben Whitehouse will be the TMO.
The Boks have won half of the 10 Tests in which Gardner took the whistle. He famously failed to dismiss Owen Farrell for a shoulder charge on André Esterhuizen in 2018.
Mathieu Raynal will referee their game against Romania in Bordeaux on September 17, with Gardner and Pierre Brousset running touch, while Brett Cronin will be the TMO.
The Boks have won two of the four Tests with the Frenchman in charge.
Ben O’Keefe will take the whistle in Paris for the Boks’ crunch clash against Ireland. Raynal and James Doleman will be on the touchline, with Brendon Pickerill as the TMO.
Under O’Keefe the Boks have lost one out of eight Tests but won only two of the six with Luke Pearce as the 31st man on the field. Pearce will referee the Boks’ October 1 match against Tonga in Marseille with Matthew Carley, Ridley and Cronin the remainder of the officiating team.
World Rugby this week announced their appointments for the 40 matches in the pool stages.
Peyper is no stranger to opening matches, having refereed the England vs Fiji opener at World Cup 2015 at Twickenham. He will also use a special whistle presented by adventurer Ron Rutland, who is cycling 21,000km from Auckland to Paris to deliver the whistle and raise money for ChildFund Rugby.
Wayne Barnes (England) is set to take part in a record fifth World Cup. He has refereed 21 matches on the RWC stage, while the other 11 officials have 24 matches between them.
Barnes, the most-capped Test referee, is one of four officials who will referee four matches in the pool stage, the others being compatriots Pearce and Dickson with Raynal.
Joy Neville (Ireland), the first woman match official in men’s World Cup history, will be TMO for five matches, starting with Italy vs Namibia in Saint-Étienne on September 9.
Nic Berry (Australia) will be in the middle for Chile’s World Cup debut against Japan in Toulouse on September 10.
The appointments follow confirmation that the Foul Play Review (Bunker) process will operate at World Cup 2023 after positive initial trials.
In May, a team of match officials (12 referees, seven assistant referees and seven TMOs) were selected for the showcase event. They represent nine nations and have more than 700 Test appearances between them. The selection, World Rugby says, was made on merit.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
SA ref Jaco Peyper in charge of World Cup opener
Angus Gardner, with whom the Boks have had beef, will ref in Scotland match
SA’s Jaco Peyper will referee the Rugby World Cup 2023 opening match between hosts France and New Zealand at Stade de France on September 8.
Peyper, who will officiate at his third World Cup, will be assisted in the opening match by Karl Dickson (England) and Christophe Ridley (England) with Tom Foley (England) as the television match official (TMO).
The Springboks will have Australia’s Angus Gardner in charge of their opening match against Scotland in Marseille on September 10.
Nika Amashukeli and Jordan Way will assist him, while Ben Whitehouse will be the TMO.
The Boks have won half of the 10 Tests in which Gardner took the whistle. He famously failed to dismiss Owen Farrell for a shoulder charge on André Esterhuizen in 2018.
Mathieu Raynal will referee their game against Romania in Bordeaux on September 17, with Gardner and Pierre Brousset running touch, while Brett Cronin will be the TMO.
The Boks have won two of the four Tests with the Frenchman in charge.
Ben O’Keefe will take the whistle in Paris for the Boks’ crunch clash against Ireland. Raynal and James Doleman will be on the touchline, with Brendon Pickerill as the TMO.
Under O’Keefe the Boks have lost one out of eight Tests but won only two of the six with Luke Pearce as the 31st man on the field. Pearce will referee the Boks’ October 1 match against Tonga in Marseille with Matthew Carley, Ridley and Cronin the remainder of the officiating team.
World Rugby this week announced their appointments for the 40 matches in the pool stages.
Peyper is no stranger to opening matches, having refereed the England vs Fiji opener at World Cup 2015 at Twickenham. He will also use a special whistle presented by adventurer Ron Rutland, who is cycling 21,000km from Auckland to Paris to deliver the whistle and raise money for ChildFund Rugby.
Wayne Barnes (England) is set to take part in a record fifth World Cup. He has refereed 21 matches on the RWC stage, while the other 11 officials have 24 matches between them.
Barnes, the most-capped Test referee, is one of four officials who will referee four matches in the pool stage, the others being compatriots Pearce and Dickson with Raynal.
Joy Neville (Ireland), the first woman match official in men’s World Cup history, will be TMO for five matches, starting with Italy vs Namibia in Saint-Étienne on September 9.
Nic Berry (Australia) will be in the middle for Chile’s World Cup debut against Japan in Toulouse on September 10.
The appointments follow confirmation that the Foul Play Review (Bunker) process will operate at World Cup 2023 after positive initial trials.
In May, a team of match officials (12 referees, seven assistant referees and seven TMOs) were selected for the showcase event. They represent nine nations and have more than 700 Test appearances between them. The selection, World Rugby says, was made on merit.
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