The match official appointments for the opening three rounds of the 2026 Nations Championship have been confirmed, with leading referees from across the international game selected to oversee the tournament's marquee fixtures.
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Saturday, 4 July 2026
Australia v Ireland
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
- Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (NZR)
- Assistant Referee 1: Karl Dickson (RFU)
- Assistant Referee 2: Andrea Piardi (FIR)
- TMO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)
- FPRO: Glenn Newman (NZR)
New Zealand v France
Venue: One New Zealand Stadium, Christchurch
- Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU)
- Assistant Referee 1: Christophe Ridley (RFU)
- Assistant Referee 2: Katsuki Furuse (JRFU)
- TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)
- FPRO: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
South Africa v England
Venue: Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
- Referee: James Doleman (NZR)
- Assistant Referee 1: Andrew Brace (IRFU)
- Assistant Referee 2: Pierre Brousset (FFR)
- TMO: Richard Kelly (NZR)
- FPRO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)
Argentina v Scotland
Venue: Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Cordoba
- Referee: Nika Amashukeli (GRU)
- Assistant Referee 1: Paul Williams (NZR)
- Assistant Referee 2: Adam Leal (RFU)
- TMO: Brett Cronan (RA)
- FPRO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)
Japan v Italy
Venue: Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo
- Referee: Nic Berry (RA)
- Assistant Referee 1: Luc Ramos (FFR)
- Assistant Referee 2: Sam Grove-White (SRU)
- TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)
- FPRO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)
Fiji v Wales
Venue: Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff
- Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)
- Assistant Referee 1: Matthew Carley (RFU)
- Assistant Referee 2: Hollie Davidson (SRU)
- TMO: Leo Colgan (IRFU)
- FPRO: Mike Adamson (SRU)
Saturday, 11 July 2026
Australia v France
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
- Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU)
- Assistant Referee 1: Christophe Ridley (RFU)
- Assistant Referee 2: Katsuki Furuse (JRFU)
- TMO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)
- FPRO: Glenn Newman (NZR)
New Zealand v Italy
Venue: SKY Stadium, Wellington
- Referee: Luc Ramos (FFR)
- Assistant Referee 1: Nic Berry (RA)
- Assistant Referee 2: Luke Pearce (RFU)
- TMO: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
- FPRO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)
South Africa v Scotland
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
- Referee: Pierre Brousset (FFR)
- Assistant Referee 1: James Doleman (NZR)
- Assistant Referee 2: Andrew Brace (IRFU)
- TMO: Richard Kelly (NZR)
- FPRO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)
Argentina v Wales
Venue: Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario, San Juan
- Referee: Paul Williams (NZR)
- Assistant Referee 1: Angus Gardner (RA)
- Assistant Referee 2: Nika Amashukeli (GRU)
- TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)
- FPRO: Brett Cronan (RA)
Japan v Ireland
Venue: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle, Australia
- Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)
- Assistant Referee 1: Ben O'Keeffe (NZR)
- Assistant Referee 2: Morné Ferreira (SARU)
- TMO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)
- FPRO: Ian Tempest (RFU)
Fiji v England
Venue: Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool
- Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU)
- Assistant Referee 1: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)
- Assistant Referee 2: Sam Grove-White (SRU)
- TMO: Mike Adamson (SRU)
- FPRO: Tual Trainini (FFR)
Saturday, 18 July 2026
Australia v Italy
Venue: HBF Park, Perth
- Referee: Christophe Ridley (RFU)
- Assistant Referee 1: Karl Dickson (RFU)
- Assistant Referee 2: Morné Ferreira (SARU)
- TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU)
- FPRO: Ian Tempest (RFU)
New Zealand v Ireland
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
- Referee: Nic Berry (RA)
- Assistant Referee 1: Luc Ramos (FFR)
- Assistant Referee 2: Damon Murphy (RA)
- TMO: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
- FPRO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)
South Africa v Wales
Venue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban
- Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)
- Assistant Referee 1: Pierre Brousset (FFR)
- Assistant Referee 2: James Doleman (NZR)
- TMO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)
- FPRO: Richard Kelly (NZR)
Argentina v England
Venue: Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, Santiago del Estero
- Referee: Angus Gardner (RA)
- Assistant Referee 1: Nika Amashukeli (GRU)
- Assistant Referee 2: Paul Williams (NZR)
- TMO: Brett Cronan (RA)
- FPRO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)
Japan v France
Venue: Tokyo National Stadium, Tokyo
- Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (NZR)
- Assistant Referee 1: Andrea Piardi (FIR)
- Assistant Referee 2: Luke Pearce (RFU)
- TMO: Glenn Newman (NZR)
- FPRO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)
Fiji v Scotland
Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh
- Referee: Matthew Carley (RFU)
- Assistant Referee 1: Eoghan Cross (IRFU)
- Assistant Referee 2: Anthony Woodthorpe (RFU)
- TMO: Tual Trainini (FFR)
- FPRO: Leo Colgan (IRFU)
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NAME EVERY ENGLAND CAPTAIN OF THE PROFESSIONAL ERA:
Since rugby turned professional in 1995, England have had a host of captains lead the team through World Cups, Grand Slams, Lions tours and some of the biggest moments in the sport's history.
From World Cup-winning legends to short-term stand-ins, how many England captains of the professional era can you name?
You have five minutes to name them all. Good luck!?
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LATEST COMMENTS
- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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