Frenchman Jerome Garces will referee the Springboks’ World Cup opener against the All Blacks in Yokohama on 21 September.
The Springboks’ pool matches at the Rugby World Cup will be handled exclusively by French and English referees, World Rugby’s appointment schedule revealed on Friday.
Two Frenchmen and two Englishmen will be in charge of South Africa’s four Pool B matches in Japan in September and October.
Garces’ countryman Mathieu Raynal will be the man in the middle when the Boks play Namibia on 28 September, while Wayne Barnes will officiate the Test against Italy on 4 October. Luke Pearce will be in charge of the clash against Canada on 8 October.
All match officials have been appointed to at least three pool matches and with matches taking place across 12 venues the length and breadth of Japan, the appointments ‘reflect the need for optimal load management, including preparation, travel and recovery time’, said World Rugby in a statement.
The appointments were made by the World Rugby Match Officials Selection Committee comprising Chairman Anthony Buchanan (council member), Joel Jutge (EPCR), Lyndon Bray (Sanzaar), Nick Mallett (former international coach) and Alain Rolland (World Rugby).
With global excitement building ahead of #RWC2019, World Rugby has announced the match official appointments for the 40 matches that comprise the tournament’s pool stage #Team21
Read more: https://t.co/VFoeHTB04X pic.twitter.com/ZFycZr6Jcs
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) July 19, 2019
Photo: Gallo Images
