Australian Rugby Union would like to recognise the recent achievements of referees who continue to excel on the field and pave the way for young Aussie officials following in their path.
At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow the Australian Men’s Sevens team finished with a Bronze Medal but referee Matt O'Brien went one better – officiating the Gold Medal playoff between New Zealand and South Africa.
Anthony Moyes joined O’Brien on the international stage and refereed the Quarter-Final between Scotland and South Africa, capping off a solid performance in Glasgow for both players and match officials.
Pathway Services Manager- Officiating, Scott Young was pleased with the representation of Australian based referees at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and believes it is a good indication of what lies ahead.
“Our aim is to get Matt and Anthony to the 2016 Olympics in Rio and their performance at this year’s Commonwealth Games is a step in the right direction,” Young said.
“They can build on their recent form in the upcoming HSBC Sevens World Series and hopefully they will continue to earn selection for the knock-out stages of the tournaments.”
In the traditional format of the game, leading female referee Amy Perrett recently took control of her maiden Shute Shield match and has now been called to the IRB Women’s Rugby World Cup which kicks-off in France this month.
Perrett’s first Test of the tournament will see her referee England v Samoa and her appointment marks another accolade for Australian match officials in 2014.
Scott Young believes Perrett is flying the flag for Australian referees at the moment.
“Amy is a great ambassador for the game and for match officials in general, so hopefully that can inspire others to take up the whistle.
“Having Australian representation at all levels of the game for females and males is part of our long-term strategic vision and is something we will look to increase through our development programs,” Young said.
Steve Walsh continues to warrant selection as well and has been the man in the middle for a number of important games in this year’s Asteron Life Super Rugby competition.
Walsh has been given the honour of Reserve Referee for the decider this Saturday between the NSW Waratahs and Crusaders. He will be joined by fellow Australian match official representatives James Leckie (Assistant Referee) and George Ayoub (TMO) on the night.
Walsh will also referee South Africa v Argentina in Castrol EDGE Rugby Championship.
Australian Rugby Union would like to congratulate the referees on their recent appointments and wish them all the best for their upcoming fixtures.
