Referees named for Boks’ Tests in Europe in November

The three men who’ll take charge of the Springboks’ Tests in Europe in November have been named.

The world champions travel to the northern hemisphere next month for Tests against Scotland, England and Wales.

The Bok Tests will be refereed by Christophe Ridley of England (SA v Scotland in Edinburgh), Andrew Brace of Ireland (SA v England in London) and Karl Dickson of England (SA v Wales in Cardiff).

Rassie Erasmus’ team will go on tour on the back of winning the Rugby Championship, a competition in which they won five out of six Tests, while they also earlier in the season beat Wales (at Twickenham), drew 1-1 with Ireland and beat Portugal in Bloemfontein.

South African officials

Meanwhile, South African match official Morne Ferreira will referee his first Test abroad next month after he was appointed by World Rugby to take charge of the match between Spain and Fiji in Valladolid.

And apart from the Test in Spain on 16 November, Ferreira – who refereed his first Tests in the Stellenbosch Challenge in 2021, where Namibia, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Brazil played – has also been appointed as an assistant referee in four other matches, including France against Argentina in Paris.

Aimee Barrett-Theron, who recently became the first women’s match official to referee 40 Tests, has been appointed as an assistant referee in three matches, including the Valladolid Test with Ferreira.

Three more South African match officials, Quinton Immelman, Marius Jonker and Marius van der Westhuizen, will appear on the TMO panel for the Test window.