The match officials for the 2024 Six Nations matches have been revealed. This year’s Six Nations referees include a host of familiar names, as well as several new appointments who will be making their debuts.
But do you know who the new Six Nations referee appointments are? Or which referees will be taking charge of your nation’s matches?
Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s Six Nations referees.
New referees for 2024
This year’s Six Nations fixtures will feature a raft of new match officials and referees. This list includes assistant referee Hollie Davidson. As the first female assistant referee to run the line at the men’s competition, Davidson is set to make history in the upcoming tournament.
Additionally, this year will also feature three new Six Nations referee appointments: Andrea Piardi, Christophe Ridley and Pierre Brousset.
Andrea Piardi (Italy)
As a Six Nations fan, you might recognise the name Andrea Piardi. This Italian referee first appeared at the 2021 Championship: he was an assistant referee during the Scotland v Wales fixture. In the same year, he also took charge of two 2023 Rugby World Cup qualifying matches in the Americas section.
This year, Piardi will make history by becoming the first ever Italian referee to officiate at the Six Nations. He has been named as the referee for the round three Ireland v Wales clash on Saturday 24 February.
Christophe Ridley (England)
The second referee to make their 2024 debut is Christophe Ridley. If you never miss a Premiership Rugby match, then this is a name you will recognise. Ridley regularly officiates Premiership fixtures and he has also taken charge of Champions Cup matches.
Ridley will referee his first Six Nations match during round three. The Englishman has been put in charge of the France v Italy fixture on Sunday 25 February.
Pierre Brousset (France)
The third of the new Six Nations referees is Frenchman Pierre Brousset. Like Piardi and Ridley, Brousset is a regular on the international stage. He began officiating Top 14 matches during 2016 and he made his debut at the United Rugby Championship in 2022.
At the 2024 tournament, Brousset will take to the pitch in round two. He will referee the Ireland v Italy fixture on Sunday 11 February.
Returning Six Nations referees
As well as the three new referees, this year’s match officials feature 11 familiar names: Andrew Brace (Ireland), Angus Gardner (Australia), Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), James Doleman (New Zealand), Karl Dickson (England), Luke Pearce (England), Mathieu Raynal (France), Matthew Carley (England), Nic Berry (Australia), Nika Amashukeli (Georgia) and Paul Williams (New Zealand).
In addition, legendary referee Jaco Peyper was initially scheduled to referee the Italy vs Scotland game in round four. However, he’s since retired as a result of an Achilles injury he sustained at the Rugby World Cup.
The full list of Six Nations referee appointments
Want to know which referee will officiate during each match? Here is a complete overview of every 2024 Six Nations fixture.
Round one
Match: France v Ireland
Date: Friday 2 February
Venue: Stade Vélodrome, Marseille
Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
Match: Italy v England
Date: Saturday 3 February
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Match: Wales v Scotland
Date: Saturday 3 February
Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff (also known as the Millennium Stadium)
Referee: Ben O’Keefe (New Zealand)
Round two
Match: Scotland v France
Date: Saturday 10 February
Venue: Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)
Match: England v Wales
Date: Saturday 10 February
Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London
Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)
Match: Ireland v Italy
Date: Sunday 11 February
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
Round three
Match: Ireland v Wales
Date: Saturday 24 February
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Match: Scotland v England
Date: Saturday 24 February
Venue: Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Match: France v Italy
Date: Sunday 25 February
Venue: Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille (also known as the Decathlon Arena)
Referee: Christophe Ridley (England)
Round four
Match: Italy v Scotland
Date: Saturday 9 March
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Match: England v Ireland
Date: Saturday 9 March
Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)
Match: Wales v France
Date: Sunday 10 March
Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff (also known as the Millennium Stadium)
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Round five
Match: Wales v Italy
Date: Saturday 16 March
Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff (also known as the Millennium Stadium)
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Match: Ireland v Scotland
Date: Saturday 16 March
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
Match: France v England
Date: Saturday 16 March
Venue: Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon (also known as the Groupama Stadium)
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
