The Guinness Six Nations 2022 kicks off on February 5th, and rugby fans couldn’t be any happier. The Championship never disappoints and is always packed with drama as France, England, Wales, Italy, Scotland, and Ireland go head to head. Some fans even take the enthusiasm a step higher and bet on these games. We highly recommend you read on BettingTop10 site how to find the best betting site for you. This way you will get all the information you need to make the safest bets.
When World Rugby announced the 13 referees who will be the match officials for this 15-match Championship, fans received the announcement with much praise. The match officials represent eight rugby unions, and Rugby Australia will have four officials raising their flag high. For Australian Rugby, the four officials will be making history as they take charge of matches on the February 12th weekend.
Andy Marinos, Rugby Australia’s Chief Executive, had a congratulatory message for his four officials. Marinos said, “It’s an incredible achievement for all four Australians who will be representing us during the Six Nations. I’d like to congratulate them on behalf of Rugby Australia.
“To have Nic, Angus and Damon take control of three individual games on the same weekend is something we’ve never had before in a team of Australian match officials during the Six Nations, and I know they’ll put their best foot forward.”
Angus Gardner is the first official and isn’t new to the Six Nations tournament, as he made his debut back in 2019. For the 2022 Six Nations fixtures, he’ll start as the 2nd assistant referee in the Ireland vs Wales match at Aviva Stadium, Dublin, on February 5th. However, on February 12th, Gardner will be the main referee in the game between France and Ireland at the Stade de France stadium in Paris.
Nic Berry is another experienced referee who had his first rodeo at the Six Nations in 2019. He will kick off the 2022 tournament on February 5th as the 1st assistant referee in the Scotland vs England match at BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh. Nic will, however, take the reins as the lead official on February 12th as former title winners Wales clash with Scotland at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
New to the Six Nations will be Damon Murphy, and his first match will be between France and Italy at the Stade de France stadium in Paris. The game will be on February 6th, and Damon will be the 2nd assistant referee. And just like his countrymates, Damon will be the main referee on February 13th as Italy plays against England at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Lastly, Brett Conan joins the Six Nations championship as a Television Match Official (TMO) for the first time and will make his debut on February 6th. He’ll join Nic Berry on February 12th as the TMO when Wales and Scotland battle it out on the pitch.
The selection of the match officials was a significant feat for World Rugby and was noted by the Chairman of the World Rugby Match Officials Selection Committee, Graham Mourie. He said, “The 2022 Guinness Six Nations represents an important milestone for our match officials on the road to Rugby World Cup 2023 in France.”
Mourie added, “ Being able to select from the largest pool of match officials since the last Rugby World Cup is exciting and also means that we will be able to optimise preparation on the ground prior to and during the Championship. I would like to extend my congratulations to Nika, Damon and Karl, who will be refereeing their first Six Nations matches, and wish all the best to all the match officials selected for the Championship.”
