World Rugby has announced the match official appointments for the Rugby Championship 2015 and Pacific Nations Cup 2015 (PNC), which get underway in July.
Appointments were made by the World Rugby Match Official Selection Committee at its meeting in Dublin recently and follow a detailed review of performances during the RBS 6 Nations and other tournaments.
The Rugby Championship opener between New Zealand and Argentina on Friday, 17 July in Christchurch will be officiated by Rugby World Cup 2011 final referee Craig Joubert (pictured), while there will also be appointments for Nigel Owens, Jérôme Garcès, Jaco Peyper, Wayne Barnes and Romain Poite. All these referees are part of the RWC 2015 match officials panel, which was announced last month.
Owens will also referee the test match between New Zealand and Australia in Auckland on 15 August, which is not an official Rugby Championship match, while Glen Jackson will take control of a similar game between Argentina and South Africa on the same day in Buenos Aires.
In addition, an experienced group of assistant referees and television match officials has also been named for the Rugby Championship featuring a blend of northern and southern hemisphere match officials.
Match officials for the PNC also feature some referees from the RWC 2015 panel, namely Chris Pollock, JP Doyle and Pascal Gauzere
View the full match official appointment list here >>
The World Rugby Match Official Selection Committee, chaired by John Jeffrey, comprises former elite referees Lyndon Bray (SANZAR), Andrew Cole (SANZAR), Donal Courtney (EPCR), Clayton Thomas (Six Nations) and World Rugby 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. More upcoming appointments will be announced in due course.
