Australian referees appointed to 2014 Commonwealth Games

Two Australian referees have been appointed to take charge of Men’s Sevens tournament at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the International Rugby Board (IRB) has announced.

Matthew O’Brien from the Gold Coast and Anthony Moyes, from Eastwood in north-west Sydney, will represent Australian Rugby Union (ARU) in a squad of eight with other officials hailing from South Africa, Wales, Scotland, New Zealand and England.

O’Brien has refereed 91 HSBC Sevens World Series games while Moyes has taken charge of 129 games. Both share an impressive international pedigree with six Rugby World Cup Sevens matches to their names.

Scott Young, former international referee and recently appointed Pathway Service Manager – Officiating at Australian Rugby Union, is pleased with the level of exposure Australian referees are receiving on the world stage.

“The appointments of Matt and Anthony reflect the high standing of Australian referees on the Sevens circuit. Both referees have been members of the IRB Sevens panel for the past three seasons and between them have officiated over 200 matches.”

Young added: “This appointment puts them in a good position to push their claims for a spot on the referees list for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.”

The panel of referees includes: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU, 53 appearances in the SWS and six in RWC Sevens), Rasta Rasivhenge (SARU, 98 SWS and six RWC Sevens), Rhys Thomas (WRU, 54 SWS and seven RWC Sevens), James Matthew (SRU, 36 SWS), Matthew O’Brien (ARU, 91 SWS and six RWC Sevens), Nick Briant (NZRU, 67 SWS), Ian Tempest (RFU, 46 SWS), Anthony Moyes (ARU, 129 SWS and six RWC Sevens).

The 2014 Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow, Scotland over 11 days of competition from 23 July to 3 August.