Junior World Trophy referees
The International Rugby Board has announced the referees for the Junior World Trophy in Georgia in May/June this year.
The Junior World Trophy is the second league behind the Junior World Champions hip and offers the chance of promotion to the Championship.
The matches will be played at Tbilisi’s Shevardeni Stadium and Avchala Stadium from 24 May to 5 June 2011.
As the tournament provides opportunities for players, so it provides opportunities for match officials.
Bernd Gabbei, an adviser to the IRB on refereeing matters, himself a former Test referee based in Germany, said: “The IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy has been a crucial development route for some of our most promising young match officials, including Francisco Pastrana who has gone on to achieve great things.
“The panel comprises 10 officials from nine countries with the hugely experienced Taizo Hirabayashi from Japan joined by emerging talent from Spain, Portugal, Belgium, USA, Samoa, Romania and Uruguay. There are also two Georgian assistant referees in Gia Amirkhanashvili and Ucha Narimanidze.
“It is essential that we continue to work hard on consistency at all levels and that we identify and develop talented officials who can benefit from the best practice environment at IRB Age Grade tournaments and be fully prepared for the rigours of international Test rugby.”
The IRB’s top referees all come from the old eight – England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and France. It would be most happy if a referee from a country outside that group could break into the top echelons of refereeing.
Referees: Joaquin Montes (Uruguay), Radu Petrescu (Romania), Tui Komiti (Samoa), Tim Luscombe (USA), Taizo Hirabayashi (Japan)
Assistant referees: Gia Amirkhanashvili, (Georgia), Ucha Narimanidze (Georgia), Afonso Nogueira (Portugal), Jorge Molpeceres (Spain), Ken Lambrechts (Belgium)
