Pacific Nations Cup, Round 3

USA v Tonga
@ BMO Stadium, Toronto, Canada
Referee: Alexandre Ruiz (France)
Assistant referees: JP Doyle (England), TBC (Canada)
Assessor: Alain Rolland (Ireland)

Fiji v Japan
@ BMO Stadium, Toronto, Canada
Referee: Pascal Gauzère (France)
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (Australia), Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
Assessor: Lyndon Bray (New Zealand)

Canada v Samoa
@ BMO Stadium, Toronto, Canada
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Luke Pearce (England), Dudley Phillips (Ireland)
Assessor: Donal Courtney (Ireland)

I hope you have been summering well and following Paul Haycocks fitness program. As you may be aware, Leinster Rugby, signed a large deal with Bank of Ireland last August where the Bank extended their sponsorship of the Leinster Rugby brand from grass roots level right up to the professional senior team (details at http://www.leinsterrugby.ie/domestic/12301.php#.Va-HPLNViko)  .

As part of this the Leinster Referees are included and therefore will now be sponsored by Bank of Ireland. We are very excited by this partnership.

Order forms have been sent out. Please return ASAP.

From rugbyworldcup.com

South Africa’s Jaco Peyper will have the honour of refereeing the opening match at Rugby World Cup 2015 in England as the hosts take on Fiji at Twickenham to kick off 44 days of unmissable rugby action.

Peyper, who is 35 and has refereed 20 internationals to date, has been appointed to the game on 18 September and he will be joined by assistant referees John Lacey of Ireland and Stuart Berry of South Africa while another South African, Shaun Veldsman, will be television match official.

Continue reading Match official appointments made for RWC 15 pool stage →

World Rugby issued a crackdown on foul play that could endanger player safety during the World Cup this year with a directive to ensure the laws of the game are enforced more stringently by officials.

World Rugby’s laws representation group concluded recently that no new laws were required ahead of the tournament in England in September and October. But it identified three areas – foul play, the scrum and the maul – that required a stricter interpretation by referees, assistant referees and television match officials. That included the law governing high tackles, challenging for high balls, obstruction and grappling players’ necks at mauls, and crooked feeds at scrums.

Continue reading Focus on foul play as World Rugby reveals crackdown →