Berry to referee World U20s final

Fri, Jun 16, 2017, 7:42 AM
Sam Phillips
by Sam Phillips
Nic Berry will referee the World U20s Championship final on Sunday. Photo: Getty Images
Nic Berry will referee the World U20s Championship final on Sunday. Photo: Getty Images

The Australian U20s may not be playing in the World Rugby U20s Championship final but there will still be an Aussie flavour to the clash, with Nic Berry named as referee.

It is a big tick of approval for Berry, who only started refereeing at the professional level in 2016 after a meteoric rise through the national ranks.

He is now a regular part of the Super Rugby rotation and was selected as one of several prospects from around the world to take control at the World Rugby U20s Championship.

His performance in Georgia has earned him this nod ahead of 16 other officials at the tournament.Berry's rise has been a meteoric one. Photo: Getty ImagesAfter a playing career that took him from Ballymore to Racing Metro before finishing with Wasps, Berry first took charge of a game in 2015.

That was a Brisbane First Grade match but by the end of that year he was refereeing Premier Grade games and even had his chance to referee some NRC matches.

That led to his chance at Super Rugby level last year but Sunday's final between England and New Zealand will be his biggest test yet.

With Angus Gardner presiding over British and Irish Lions matches over the past fortnight, Rohan Hoffman and Jordan Way serving as assistant referees in tonight's All Blacks-Samoa clash and Amy Perrett continuing her rise as referee of the Red Roses and Black Ferns clash tomorrow, Australian officiating is in good stead.

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