Luke Pearce will be heading to the Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on 12th March to officiate the penultimate round of the 2023 Guinness Six Nations when Scotland takes on Ireland.
Along with our partners at ACME whistles, we caught up with Luke to find out a little more about his memories of refereeing in Scotland.
When asked which stadium, from all Six Nations venues, Luke would choose to referee in he – jovially said ‘Murrayfield’ adding: “Once you get to tier one level of rugby there are no stadiums around the world that aren’t quality. From Eden Park in New Zealand and Ellis Park in Johannesburg to all of the Six Nations grounds.
“It’s so special. You can go from Italy in the sunshine to Paris for a 9 o’clock kick off to Dublin where everything is within walking distance – and they are all amazing and polls apart from everyday life.
“It all makes you realise the importance of this tournament. Outside of the World Cup, I think Six Nations has got to be up there as the best tournament.
“I have mates who are not rugby people, but will go to the pub for every Six Nations game. They never have a clue what’s going on, but they get carried on the tide of the Six Nations.
“When you do run out in these stadiums it’s a really cool experience, irrelevant of what may or may not happen. Sometimes you do pinch yourself at how amazing it is to be running out with these players, in front of thousands of people with the noise and emotion it can create. It makes my job really special.”
You can catch Luke at Murrayfield on Sunday 12th March at 3pm when he will be refereeing Scotland v Ireland.
For more information on refereeing and to get started, visit www.acmewhistles.co.uk