Overview
- World Rugby published the full list of match officials on Thursday, confirming appointments for the 18 matches that run from 4 to 18 July.
- England’s Luke Pearce will referee the tournament opener, New Zealand v France in Christchurch, and New Zealand’s James Doleman, France’s Pierre Brousset and Ireland’s Andrew Brace were named for South Africa’s three home Tests.
- Sixteen referees from eight nations will cover the July window while a wider pool of 35 officials from 11 nations will work across the whole Nations Championship, with Ben O’Keeffe and Nic Berry each appointed to two matches.
- Hollie Davidson has been named for Fiji v England on 11 July and will reach her 50th Test, making her the first Scottish referee and only the third female official to hit that milestone.
- The appointments reflect how the new Nations Championship’s July and November windows concentrate fixtures and officials into concurrent matchdays, which will affect referee travel, scheduling and opportunities for wider national and gender representation at the top level.