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Refs for RWC Sevens

The International Rugby Board has announced the match officials for the Sevens World Cups, male and female, at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow in June.

The two Sevens World Cups will run side by side over three days.

The  10 male referees are Federico Anselmi (Argentina), James Bolabiu (Fiji), James McPhail (New Zealand), Anthony Moyes (Australia), Matthew O'Brien (Australia), Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa), Alexandre Ruiz (France) , Rhys Thomas (Wales), Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa) and Kevin White (Scotland). Bolabiu is the only male panel member to have officiated in Dubai four years ago. The panel will be supported by 16 specialist assistant and in-goal referees for the 58 matches.

The seven female referees are Jess Beard (New Zealand), Leah Berard (USA), Chelsea Gurr (New Zealand), Marlize Jordaan (South Africa),Gabriel Lee (Hong Kong), Amy Perrett (Australia), and Sherry Trumbull (Canada). They will be supported by seven specialist assistant and in-goal referees, completing a record panel of 14 female match officials selected for the 42 matches of the event.

The referees have been chosen by the IRB Match Official Selection Committee, chaired by John Jeffrey, the former Scotland international.

Jeffrey said: "The panel contains a blend of the very best men’s and women’s international referees who have proven themselves in the challenging HSBC Sevens World Series and IRB Women’s Sevens World Series. All are included on merit.

"The seven female referees appointed to the tournament will take charge of matches in the Women's Rugby World Cup Sevens competition, which runs alongside the men's. It is a great opportunity for referees who have proven themselves on the Women’s Series to showcase their talent on Rugby Sevens' biggest global stage."

"Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 promises to be a spectacular global showcase for teams and fans and for our match officials the experience will be no different. As we build towards our Olympic Games return in 2016, the event will provide exposure to a high-intensity, high-paced environment that tests physical, aerobic and mental skills.”

Rugby World Cup Limited Chairman Bernard Lapasset said: "Planning and preparation is on track and Russia has a proud history of staging exceptional major sporting and cultural events. The Rugby Union of Russia and the Russian Government, in partnership with the IRB, are collaborating to deliver a world-class festival on and off the pitch. It will be a Rugby World Cup Sevens festival like no other."

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