With less than two months to go until the IRB Junior World Championship 2009 kicks off in Japan, it is not only the players and coaches of the participating teams who are looking forward to the key international development tournament.
The world’s best up and coming match officials also have their sights firmly set on the Championship after the IRB announced the panel of 16 match officials who have been selected to preside over the 40 matches.
Ten Unions are represented in the panel, which brings together some of the finest young match officials and seasoned professionals with those who have excelled in previous IRB Age Grade tournaments and the IRB Sevens World Series, including Japan’s top referee Taizo Hirabayashi. The panel also includes the selection of three Japanese match officials as specialist assistant referees.
View the IRB Junior World Championship 2009 schedule >>
“The IRB Junior World Championship is a proven testing ground for the future stars of international Rugby to make their mark in a testing environment, and the same can certainly be said for the match officials who will feature in Japan,” said IRB Referee Manager Paddy O’Brien.
“The Championship sits alongside the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy and IRB Sevens World Series in playing a key development role for aspiring High Performance match officials, exposing them to a unique performance and learning environment to help prepare them for the Test arena.”
For those selected the Tournament represents the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Peter Fitzgibbon, who took charge of his first Test last year after refereeing the IRB Junior World Championship final in Wales. IRB High Performance referees Nigel Owens, Craig Joubert, Bryce Lawrence, Marius Jonker and Christophe Berdos all came through the Age Grade system.
“Like the players, the panel will work exceptionally hard during the Championship and will benefit from the guidance of the IRB selectors and assessors who will be present to oversee their progress. We feel that all 13 are potential Test referees, so this is a huge opportunity for them to shine,” added O’Brien.
Individual match appointments for the pool stages of the Championship will be made when the match officials arrive in Japan in late May. Performances will then be assessed before appointments for the final rounds are made.
IRB Junior World Championship 2009 Match Officials
Referees:
Taizo Hirabayashi (Japan)James Bolabiu (Fiji)Ian Smith (Australia)James Leckie (Australia)James Jones (Wales)Peter Allan (Scotland)Carlo Damasco (Italy)Javier Mancuso (Argentina)Keith Brown (New Zealand)Chris Pollock (New Zealand)Pascal Gauzere (France)Jerome Garces (France)Andrew Small (England)
Assistant Referees:
Tetsuhiko Kawano (Japan)Akihisa Aso (Japan)Taku Otsuki (Japan)
The world’s best up and coming match officials also have their sights firmly set on the Championship after the IRB announced the panel of 16 match officials who have been selected to preside over the 40 matches.
Ten Unions are represented in the panel, which brings together some of the finest young match officials and seasoned professionals with those who have excelled in previous IRB Age Grade tournaments and the IRB Sevens World Series, including Japan’s top referee Taizo Hirabayashi. The panel also includes the selection of three Japanese match officials as specialist assistant referees.
View the IRB Junior World Championship 2009 schedule >>
“The IRB Junior World Championship is a proven testing ground for the future stars of international Rugby to make their mark in a testing environment, and the same can certainly be said for the match officials who will feature in Japan,” said IRB Referee Manager Paddy O’Brien.
“The Championship sits alongside the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy and IRB Sevens World Series in playing a key development role for aspiring High Performance match officials, exposing them to a unique performance and learning environment to help prepare them for the Test arena.”
For those selected the Tournament represents the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Peter Fitzgibbon, who took charge of his first Test last year after refereeing the IRB Junior World Championship final in Wales. IRB High Performance referees Nigel Owens, Craig Joubert, Bryce Lawrence, Marius Jonker and Christophe Berdos all came through the Age Grade system.
“Like the players, the panel will work exceptionally hard during the Championship and will benefit from the guidance of the IRB selectors and assessors who will be present to oversee their progress. We feel that all 13 are potential Test referees, so this is a huge opportunity for them to shine,” added O’Brien.
Individual match appointments for the pool stages of the Championship will be made when the match officials arrive in Japan in late May. Performances will then be assessed before appointments for the final rounds are made.
IRB Junior World Championship 2009 Match Officials
Referees:
Taizo Hirabayashi (Japan)James Bolabiu (Fiji)Ian Smith (Australia)James Leckie (Australia)James Jones (Wales)Peter Allan (Scotland)Carlo Damasco (Italy)Javier Mancuso (Argentina)Keith Brown (New Zealand)Chris Pollock (New Zealand)Pascal Gauzere (France)Jerome Garces (France)Andrew Small (England)
Assistant Referees:
Tetsuhiko Kawano (Japan)Akihisa Aso (Japan)Taku Otsuki (Japan)
