Matt at Murrayfield
First European experience for Sydney cove
Matt Goddard will referee his fifth Test at Murrayfield On Saturday, his first in Europe, when Scotland play Romania.
He is a young referee making his way in the world, appearing on the IRB's panel of 21 referees – making him one of the 21 top referees in the world.
Matt is young but not at all new to refereeing.
Matthew David Goddard was born in Sydney on 12 January 1975. He played rugby at the Sydney Church of England Grammar School, known as Shore, a "Great Public School".
Matt played rugby at Shore as far as Under-16 and loved it but gave it up because "I did not like tackling". Refereeing started as a way to keeping involved in rugby and especially for fitness. "One thing led to another."
Matt started refereeing juniors in 1992 and in 1994 progressed to seniors. He is 31 and been refereeing for 14 years.
By 1999 he was doing well enough to referee the Grand Final of New South Wales's competition – Sydney University vs Eastwood. He also refereed matches involving the USA, the Emerging Wallabies and the Maori – and he went to the Under-19 World Championships. It was a definite foot on the ladder.
In 2002 he hit the big time with his first Super 12 match – the Bulls against the Sharks. Since 2004 he has been a fixture in Super rugby. In 2002, too, he went to Hong Kong for the Hong King Sevens for the first time. He has also refereed Sevens in Malaysia, China and Singapore.
His career as a Test referee started in 2005 with Canada against Wales In Toronto and then Samoa against Tonga in Apia. This year he has refereed Chile against Argentina in Santiago in the South American Championship and Samoa against Japan in Auckland on the Pacific 5 Nations.
Since 2003 he has been the touch judge in 11 Tests, including England vs New Zealand at Twickenham in 2006.
Asked the highlights of his career, Matt said: "Many – first Super 12 game – Sharks vs Bulls in Pretoria in 2002, and my first test Wales vs Canada."
Obviously there are people who have helped him along the way. He names Russell Trotter, Peter Marshall, Stuart Dickinson and Tony Spreadbury
And he has role models – "A good referee would have Peter Marshall's feel for the game, with Chris White's eloquence, André Watson's showmanship, Paul Honiss's speed and Steve Walsh's good looks! In all seriousness I have been able to look up to all these guys over the last 10 years or so."
The kind of referee he would like to be? One who does not get noticed – in the fashion of Andrew Cole.
Matt, an accountant by profession, is a full-time referee now, married to Beth with two sons, Tom and Will.
