World Rugby Confirms Officials for Entire Springboks-All Blacks Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour
- World Rugby has named the match officials for every fixture on the Springboks-All Blacks Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour
- The appointments cover all eight matches, from the provincial clashes to the four-Test series
- Fans can now see who will referee each game as the blockbuster tour approaches
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World Rugby has confirmed the match officials for the entire Springboks-All Blacks Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour, with appointments announced for all eight matches scheduled between 7 August and 12 September 2026.
The tour will see New Zealand play four South African franchises before taking on the Springboks in a four-Test series.
According to World Rugby, leading referees from England, Georgia and Australia will officiate the fixtures, alongside an experienced team of assistant referees, television match officials (TMOs) and foul play review officials (FPROs).
World Rugby confirms referee appointments for entire tour
The tour opens on 7 August when the Stormers host New Zealand in Cape Town before matches against the Sharks, Bulls and Lions. Attention then shifts to the four-Test series, which begins at Ellis Park on 22 August and concludes at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, United States, on 12 September.
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Matthew Carley will referee the opening Test in Johannesburg, Nika Amashukeli will take charge of the second Test in Cape Town, Angus Gardner will oversee the third Test at FNB Stadium, while Karl Dickson will referee the historic fourth Test in Baltimore.
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Full list of match officials
Date | Fixture | Referee | Assistant referees | TMO | FPRO |
7 Aug | Stormers vs New Zealand (Cape Town) | Karl Dickson (RFU) | Matthew Carley (RFU), Hollie Davidson (SRU) | Andrew Jackson (RFU) | Mike Adamson (SRU) |
11 Aug | Sharks vs New Zealand (Durban) | Matthew Carley (RFU) | Karl Dickson (RFU), Hollie Davidson (SRU) | Mike Adamson (SRU) | Andrew Jackson (RFU) |
15 Aug | Bulls vs New Zealand (Pretoria) | Nika Amashukeli (GRU) | Karl Dickson (RFU), Matthew Carley (RFU) | Eric Gauzins (FFR) | Mike Adamson (SRU) |
22 Aug | Springboks vs All Blacks – Test 1 (Johannesburg) | Matthew Carley (RFU) | Karl Dickson (RFU), Nika Amashukeli (GRU) | Mike Adamson (SRU) | Eric Gauzins (FFR) |
25 Aug | Lions vs New Zealand (Johannesburg) | Angus Gardner (RA) | Karl Dickson (RFU), Nika Amashukeli (GRU) | Brett Cronan (RA) | Eric Gauzins (FFR) |
29 Aug | Springboks vs All Blacks – Test 2 (Cape Town) | Nika Amashukeli (GRU) | Karl Dickson (RFU), Angus Gardner (RA) | Eric Gauzins (FFR) | Brett Cronan (RA) |
5 Sept | Springboks vs All Blacks – Test 3 (Johannesburg) | Angus Gardner (RA) | Nika Amashukeli (GRU), Christophe Ridley (RFU) | Brett Cronan (RA) | Eric Gauzins (FFR) |
12 Sept | Springboks vs All Blacks – Test 4 (Baltimore, USA) | Karl Dickson (RFU) | Matthew Carley (RFU), Christophe Ridley (RFU) | Andrew Jackson (RFU) | Matteo Liperini (FIR) |
Abbreviations: RFU – Rugby Football Union (England); SRU – Scottish Rugby Union; GRU – Georgian Rugby Union; RA – Rugby Australia; FFR – French Rugby Federation; FIR – Italian Rugby Federation.
Experienced officials selected for rugby's biggest rivalry
The appointments feature a consistent group of elite officials throughout the tour. Dickson and Carley each referee two matches, while Amashukeli and Gardner take charge of one provincial fixture and one Test each.
Hollie Davidson features as an assistant referee in the opening two matches, while Andrew Jackson, Mike Adamson, Eric Gauzins, Brett Cronan and Matteo Liperini rotate as TMOs and FPROs across the tour.
With the officiating teams now confirmed, attention turns to the action on the field as South Africa and New Zealand prepare to renew one of rugby's greatest rivalries.
Springboks send strong Argentina message before All Blacks series
Briefly News also reported that the Springboks have insisted their Rugby Championship clash against Argentina is not being treated as a warm-up for the upcoming All Blacks series.
Assistant coach Deon Davids said South Africa's full focus is on Los Pumas, warning that underestimating Argentina at home would be "a big mistake".
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Source: Briefly News
