World Rugby have named the match official appointments for this year’s Rugby Championship which starts at ANZ Stadium in Sydney on August 18.
Eighteen match officials and six TMOs from across seven unions will take charge of the twelve matches and Bledisloe Cup in the coming months.
The competition runs between August and October and kicks off with Jaco Peyper officiating the opening game when Australia host current title holders New Zealand in Sydney.
With just over one year to go until Rugby World Cup 2019, the Rugby Championship will play a fundamental role in continued development and assessment of elite match officials.
View the full match official appointment list here
World Rugby Match Officials Selection Committee Chairman Anthony Buchanan said: “With the Rugby World Cup on the horizon, we are striving to ensure that, once again, we have a top-class group of experienced officials ready to perform at the highest level in Japan 2019.
“The Rugby Championship is an exciting tournament that brings with it a suitable environment for reviewing match official performances as they officiate high pressure and intense Test rugby matches.
“An experienced group of match officials and TMOs have been appointed for this year’s Championship with the focus on clear and consistent decision-making from officials as teams compete for the coveted Rugby Championship title.”
The match official appointment process identifies and rewards the top performing match officials. All match official performances are closely reviewed to ensure clear and consistent decision-making from match officials.
World Rugby also holds regular consultations with team coaches, with feedback taken into consideration as part of selection appointments.