New Zealander James Doleman will referee his first Vodacom Super Rugby match when he takes charge of the Lions’ match against the Rebels on Saturday.

The seven-match round six kicks off with three Friday-night matches. The first match is the relocated Sunwolves vs Brumbies match in Wollongong. The referee for the match is Federico Anselmi, while a few hours later the Waratahs host the Chiefs at the same venue in a match to be refereed by Angus Gardner. In between the Wollongong matches, the Crusaders play the Reds in Christchurch where Rasta Rasivhenge will hold the whistle.

On Saturday Mike Fraser will be in charge in Wellington for the Kiwi derby when the Hurricanes host the Blues, while in Melbourne James Doleman makes his Super Rugby debut. The young, up-and-coming New Zealander, who had refereed at the Sevens World Series and U20 World Cup, will referee the Rebels vs Lions.

There are two matches in South Africa to complete round six. The first is a clash between the second and third-placed teams in the South African Conference. The Sharks host the Jaguares in Durban where Marius van der Westhuizen will be the referee. In the last match of the round the Vodacom Bulls play the Highlanders in Pretoria where both teams will be seeking victory to kick-start their seasons. The referee is AJ Jacobs.

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REBELS vs LIONS (Saturday, Melbourne)

Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Federico Anselmi (Argentina), James Quinn (Australia)
TMO: James Leckie

SHARKS vs JAGUARES (Saturday, Durban)

Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (South African)
Assistant referees: Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa), TBC
TMO: Joey Klaaste-Salmans (South Africa)

BULLS vs HIGHLANDERS (Saturday, Pretoria)

Referee: AJ Jacobs (South Africa)
Assistant referee: Cwengile Jadezweni (South Africa), Egon Seconds (South Africa)
TMO: Willie Vos (South Africa).

Photo: Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images