The match officials have been confirmed for this year’s Rugby Championship which takes place between 16 August and 4 October.
A total of 11 referees representing six nations, and boasting 331 Tests worth of experience, will take charge of the 12 matches.
There are once again no South African referees among those 11 assigned matches during the tournament.
The Springboks are the defending Rugby Championship champions.
All four teams ranked in the Top 7
The 2025 edition of the Rugby Championship will see four of the world’s top seven ranked teams battle it out across four continents and 11 cities.
Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand) will take charge of the opening match between South Africa and Australia at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 16 August, with Andrea Piardi (Italy) to referee the last match between Argentina and South Africa at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham on 4 October.
In between, New Zealand’s James Doleman will referee the Springboks’ match against Australia in Cape Town, while England’s Karl Dickson will have the whistle for South Africa’s first clash against New Zealand in Auckland.
The second Test between the two bitter rivals in Wellington will be handled by Georgia’s Nika Amashukeli.
Australian Angus Gardner will take charge of the Springboks’ clash against Argentina in Durban.
The Rugby Championship 2025
| South Africa v Australia Ellis Park, Johannesburg Saturday, 16 August |
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (NZR) Assistant Referee 1: James Doleman (NZR) Assistant Referee 2: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR) TMO: Tual Trainini (FFR) FPRO: Richard Kelly (NZR) |
| Argentina v New Zealand Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Cordoba Saturday, 16 August |
Referee: Pierre Brousset (FFR) Assistant Referee 1: Nic Berry (RA) Assistant Referee 2: Morné Ferreira (SARU) TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU) FPRO: Damon Murphy (RA) |
| South Africa v Australia Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town Saturday, 23 August |
Referee: James Doleman (NZR) Assistant Referee 1: Ben O’Keeffe (NZR) Assistant Referee 2: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR) TMO: Richard Kelly (RA) FPRO: Tual Trainini (FFR) |
| Argentina v New Zealand Estado Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires Saturday, 23 August |
Referee: Nic Berry (RA) Assistant Referee 1: Pierre Brousset (FFR) Assistant Referee 2: Morné Ferreira (SARU) TMO: Damon Murphy (RA) FPRO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU) |
| Australia v Argentina Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville Saturday, 6 September |
Referee: Paul Williams (NZR) Assistant Referee 1: Christophe Ridley (RFU) Assistant Referee 2: Sam Grove-White (SRU) TMO: Mike Adamson (SRU) FPRO: Glenn Newman (NZR) |
| New Zealand v South Africa Eden Park, Auckland Saturday, 6 September |
Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU) Assistant Referee 1: Nika Amashukeli (GRU) Assistant Referee 2: Jordan Way (RA) TMO: Brett Cronan (RA) FPRO: Eric Gauzins (FFR) |
| Australia v Argentina Allianz Stadium, Sydney Saturday, 13 September |
Referee: Christophe Ridley (FFR) Assistant Referee 1: Paul Williams (NZR) Assistant Referee 2: Sam Grove-White (SRU) TMO: Glenn Newman (NZR) FPRO: Mike Adamson (SRU) |
| New Zealand v South Africa SKY Stadium, Wellington Saturday, 13 September |
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (GRU) Assistant Referee 1: Angus Gardner (RA) Assistant Referee 2: Jordan Way (RA) TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR) FPRO: Brett Cronan (RA) |
| New Zealand v Australia Eden Park, Auckland Saturday, 27 September |
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR) Assistant Referee 1: Matthew Carley (RFU) Assistant Referee 2: Morné Ferreira (SARU) TMO: Marius Jonker (SARU) FPRO: Andrew Jackson (RFU) |
| South Africa v Argentina Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban Saturday, 27 September |
Referee: Angus Gardner (RA) Assistant Referee 1: Pierre Brousset (FFR) Assistant Referee 2: Angus Mabey (NZR) TMO: Brett Cronan (RA) FPRO: Damon Murphy (RA) |
| Australia v New Zealand Optus Stadium, Perth Saturday, 4 October |
Referee: Matthew Carley (RFU) Assistant Referee 1: Pierre Brousset (FFR) Assistant Referee 2: Morné Ferreira (SARU) TMO: Andrew Jackson (RFU) FPRO: Marius Jonker (SARU) |
| Argentina v South Africa Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, England Saturday, 4 October |
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR) Assistant Referee 1: Nika Amashukeli (GRU) Assistant Referee 2: Christophe Ridley (RFU) TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU) FPRO: Matteo Liperini (FIR) |
Highlights:
- Andrea Piardi will referee two matches, a year on from becoming the first Italian official to take charge of a Rugby Championship match.
- Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand) and Angus Gardner (Australia) are the most experienced referees on the panel with 50 Tests.
- Three assistant referees will make their tournament debuts in Morné Ferreira (South Africa), Sam Grove-White (Scotland) and Angus Mabey (New Zealand), along with one Television Match Official in Andrew Jackson (England).
World Rugby High Performance 15s Match Officials Manager Joël Jutge said: “Our collective focus continues to be on delivering the best match officials for the world’s best tournaments. The Rugby Championship 2025 will include some of our most experienced match officials, while at the same time allowing others to gain experience in such a high-level tournament.”
“Unashamedly our goal is ensuring we are fully prepared for men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia with the match officials’ team performing to its fullest potential, facilitating an exciting game for players and fans.
“The Rugby Championship represents a major milestone on the journey to Australia for match officials and anticipation is again high for the 2025 tournament as the top talent from Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa do battle for southern hemisphere supremacy.”
Thoughts of the referees for the Springboks’ Rugby Championship Tests?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
