#4. Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Ben is one of New Zealand’s leading rugby union referees overseeing domestic, Super Rugby and Test Match games around the world.
Born in January 1989 in Blenheim, New Zealand, Ben first started refereeing in 2008 at the age of 19, becoming a professional referee in 2013.
Making his international debut during the 2015 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup, Ben officiated a game between Fiji and Tonga.
Just one year later, Ben took charge of a historic match between Samoa and Georgia which ended in a 19-all draw. The same year Ben also oversaw his first Six Nations game.
Ben now regularly referees both Six Nations and Rugby Championship tournaments and was the youngest referee at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan where he oversaw the games between Australia V Fiji, France V USA and Japan V Scotland.
In association with our partners at ACME Whistles we managed to speak to Ben O’Keefe to learn a little more about the man behind the whistle. Click here to read more.
