International Rugby
Northern hemisphere referees dominate the appointments for the forthcoming Rugby Championship.
European-based referees will take charge of seven of the 12 games with Frenchman Jerome Garces the only northern hemisphere official handed two fixtures - New Zealand's clash with Argentina in Hamilton on September 7 and South Africa's date with Australia in Cape Town on September 28. Alain Rolland, George Clancy, Romain Poite, Nigel Owens and Wayne Barnes complete the northern hemisphere contingent.
South African Craig Joubert will handle the opening game between Australia and New Zealand in Sydney on August 17 with Kiwi official Chris Pollock taking charge of the other game that day between South Africa and Argentina in Bloemfontein. Jaco Peyper is the only southern hemisphere referee awarded two games with the South African slated to be in the middle for New Zealand's match against Australia in Wellington on August 24 and the All Blacks' trip to Argentina on September 28.
The Rugby Championship will provide the backdrop to the debut of the new 'crouch, bind, set' scrum engagement trial aimed at enhancing player welfare and boosting scrum stability following a request from SANZAR. Referees will also be instructed to ensure that the scrum is static before the ball is put into the scrum and that the ball goes in straight.
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