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Honiss set to break record

By
Wednesday 12 Jul 2006

Referee takes charge of 38th Test on Saturday

Paul Honiss is set to break the record of Tests for a New Zealand referee, presently held by the great Paddy O'Brien.

At present Honiss and O'Brien are locked on 37 Tests each, but Honiss is due to referee Saturday's Tri-Nations Test between Australia and South Africa in Brisbane.

Honiss equalled the O'Brien's record last month when he refereed the World Cup qualifier between Cook Islands and Tonga in Rauratonga, a match won 77-10 by the Ikale Tahi.

Keith Lawrence, New Zealand's Manager of High Performance Refereeing and himself a former Test referee, said: “Paul is an exceptional referee and he has demonstrated that on the world stage. This achievement is a credit to his outstanding ability and drive to succeed at the top level."

The most capped referee in rugby's history is Derek Bevan of Wales with 43 caps.

Paul Gerard Honiss was born in Hamilton on 18 June 1963. He started refereeing in 1984 and refereed his first Test in 1997 – Tahiti vs Cook Islands. He is currently a full-time referee.

New Zealand’s top five Test referees:

Paul Honiss (37 Tests)
Paddy O'Brien (37 Tests)
David Bishop (26 Tests)
Colin Hawke (24 Tests)
Steve Walsh (21 Tests)

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