Referee appointments for round five of the 2024 Guinness Six Nations, including the England vs Wales referee at Twickenham.
RUCK’s 2024 Guinness Six Nations content
The initial set of matches in this year's Six Nations lived up to expectations, featuring Ireland's impressive victory in France, England narrowly surpassing Italy, and Wales coming close to a remarkable comeback against Scotland.
Anticipate more excitement in the upcoming second round of fixtures, commencing at Murrayfield as France looks to bounce back against Scotland.
Simultaneously, the encounter between Wales and Twickenham is always significant, especially since Wales hasn't secured a Six Nations win there since 2012. England, under Steve Borthwick, has faced challenges at home, and they aim for improvement after a less-than-convincing performance in Rome.
On Sunday, Ireland aims to continue their pursuit of consecutive Grand Slams when they face Italy. Despite a commendable effort by Gonzalo Quesada's team in the opener, they have nothing to lose in Dublin.
Referee's for this weekend
Scotland vs France referee
Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Saturday, 10 February, 2024
- Referee: Nic Berry (RA)
- Assistant Referee 1: Nika Amashukeli (GRU)
- Assistant Referee 2: Jordan Way (RA)
- TMO: Brian MacNeice (IRFU)
Berry, a former scrum-half, dedicated almost a decade to professional rugby, initially playing for the Reds in Super Rugby and later joining Racing 92 and Wasps in Europe.
Retiring at the age of 28 in 2012 due to a series of concussions, Berry transitioned to refereeing. In 2016, he officiated his inaugural Super Rugby match and went on to be one of the 12 referees chosen for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. Berry has also been named as a referee for the 2023 tournament, with his first match officiating Chile versus Japan.
Adding to his refereeing accolades, Berry contributed to the officiating panel for the British & Irish Lions 2021 series against South Africa. He took charge of the first Test and served as an assistant referee for the subsequent two matches, with Ben O’Keeffe and Mathieu Raynal handling the refereeing duties.
England vs Wales referee
Twickenham Stadium, London
Saturday, 10 February, 2024
- Referee: James Doleman (NZR)
- Assistant Referee 1: Ben O'Keeffe (NZR)
- Assistant Referee 2: Hollie Davidson (SRU)
- TMO: Brendon Pickerill (NZR)
Doleman, an alumnus of the University of Otago with aspirations of becoming a teacher, embarked on his refereeing journey as a student in Dunedin. However, it wasn't until 2020 that he transitioned into a professional official. Since then, he has officiated in Super Rugby and Mitre 10 Cup matches.
Doleman's international refereeing career took off in 2021 when he made his debut in the Australia vs. France match. Building on this momentum, he further marked his presence in the rugby scene by officiating in the Six Nations.
Having already officiated the England vs Italy game last year, Doleman is set to return to Twickenham for another significant role in the 2024 Six Nations. This time, he will be in charge of the England vs Wales match, adding to his list of high-profile refereeing assignments.
Ireland vs Italy referee
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Sunday, 11 February, 2024
- Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU)
- Assistant Referee 1: Mathieu Raynal (FFR)
- Assistant Referee 2: Luc Ramos (FFR)
- TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)
At the age of 21, Pearce began his refereeing career in the RFU Championship in 2009, setting the stage for a continuous and impressive progression. He ascended through the ranks of English, European, and global rugby refereeing systems, ultimately achieving his officiating dream when selected as the match referee for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
In 2009, Pearce became the youngest individual at the time to earn promotion to the RFU National Panel. Within just two years, he took charge of his first Premiership fixture, overseeing the clash between Gloucester and Worcester.
In that same period, at the age of 23, Pearce debuted as a referee in the World Sevens Series. The year 2011 marked a breakthrough for him as he officiated his first European game in the Challenge Cup.
Pearce's achievements continued to mount. A year after refereeing his initial international match in 2013, officiating between Romania and Russia at the European Nations Cup, he received an appointment from World Rugby.
His Six Nations journey commenced in 2014 when he served as an assistant referee in the Italy vs. Scotland match. In a remarkable turn of events in 2019, he refereed the same fixture, marking his first Six Nations refereeing experience. Coincidentally, he also took charge of Scotland vs. Italy in the 2020 Autumn Nations Cup.
Fulfilling his long-standing aspiration, Pearce realized his dream of refereeing at a World Cup during the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Despite his birthplace, he officiated the Wales vs. Georgia match, representing England instead
Referee, Luke Pearce in his Rainbow Laces top during the Gallagher Premiership match between Exeter Chiefs and Sale Sharks at Sandy Park, Exeter on 26th February 2023. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK
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