Springboks vs All Blacks Cape Town Test Gets New Referee After Amashukeli Falls Ill
- World Rugby confirmed a late referee change for Saturday's Springboks-All Blacks Test in Cape Town after Nika Amashukeli was ruled out due to illness
- Australian referee Angus Gardner steps in to officiate the clash at DHL Stadium on 29 August 2026, with kick-off set for 17:10
- Both the Springboks and All Blacks have named their starting line-ups for the second Test in the series
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World Rugby has confirmed a last-minute change to the referee panel for Saturday's Springboks and All Blacks second Test at DHL Stadium in Cape Town, scheduled for 29 August 2026.
Georgian official Nika Amashukeli, who was originally appointed to referee the match, has been ruled out after failing to recover from illness in time. South Africa hold a 4-1 record in Tests that Amashukeli has officiated, making the change notable ahead of a crucial series encounter.
Angus Gardner steps in for Cape Town clash
Australian referee Angus Gardner has been appointed as his replacement. The updated panel sees Brett Cronan (Australia) serve as Television Match Official, Eric Gauzins (France) as Foul Play Review Officer, and Sam Grove-White (Scotland) joining as an assistant referee in place of Gardner. Karl Dickson of England retains his role as the first assistant referee.
The full updated match officials for the Cape Town Test are as follows: Referee - Angus Gardner (Australia); Assistant Referee 1 - Karl Dickson (England); Assistant Referee 2 - Sam Grove-White (Scotland); TMO - Brett Cronan (Australia); FPRO - Eric Gauzins (France).
Gardner is also scheduled to referee the third Test at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on 5 September, where Amashukeli is listed as an assistant referee pending his recovery. The fourth Test, set for M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, USA on 12 September, will be handled by Karl Dickson.
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Team line-ups for Saturday's Test
Kick-off at DHL Stadium is set for 17:10 on Saturday, with the All Blacks having made several changes to the side that claimed victory in the first Test in Johannesburg the previous weekend.
The Springboks will line up as follows: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché. Replacements: Deon Fourie, Gerhard Steenekamp, Thomas du Toit, Lood de Jager, André Esterhuizen, Cameron Hanekom, Morné van den Berg, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
The All Blacks name the following XV: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Quinn Tupaea, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Leroy Carter, 10 Ruben Love, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Ardie Savea (c), 7 Luke Jacobson, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Tupou Vaa'i, 4 Fabian Holland, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 George Bower. Replacements: Asafo Aumua, Xavier Numia, Fletcher Newell, Patrick Tuipulotu, Peter Lakai, Kyle Preston, Anton Lienert-Brown, Josh Moorby.
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Source: Briefly News
