England vs Argentina referee was pulled from game at last minute

Sunday, 23 November 2025 at 15:10

byRugby Rucker

World Rugby has officially appointed the England vs Argentina referee for the final international of the Autumn Internationals – with French official Pierre Brousset set to take charge at Twickenham.

Brousset, 36, made headlines earlier this year when he oversaw his first ever Six Nations match, England’s clash with Scotland at HQ. It came 12 months after what should have been his tournament debut was derailed by a last-minute injury.

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A former lower-league scrum-half, Brousset quit playing at just 19 to throw himself fully into refereeing. By 2018 he was a full-time match official and quickly earned a reputation as one of France’s brightest prospects, at one point becoming the youngest referee in the Top 14.

Since then, he has controlled Rugby Championship fixtures, Autumn Nations Series games, and multiple international U20s matches. But his strongest ambition was always clear: to referee on the Six Nations stage.

He almost achieved that goal last February when he was scheduled to take charge of Ireland vs Italy in Dublin. However, an untimely injury forced him to withdraw, with Luke Pearce stepping in at short notice.

A year on, Brousset has finally broken through and now finds himself appointed as the England vs Argentina referee, taking centre stage in one of Twickenham’s most iconic fixtures.

Reflecting on his journey, Brousset once explained:

“I was a player until I was 20. I took the referee’s exam almost by chance after discussing the laws with someone, and I thought it would be useful to really understand the rules. That’s when it all began at 17. Two years later, I stopped playing to focus solely on refereeing.

I realised the level I would reach as a player, so I thought if I wanted to aim higher, refereeing was the way. My initial goal was to make it to Fédérale 1 within five years. I immersed myself in it — and here I am, achieving goal after goal.”

Brousset will now oversee England’s final hit-out of the autumn as they take on Argentina in what promises to be an intense Twickenham showdown.