O'Keeffe gets Springboks as officials announced for Rugby Championship

The match officials for the 2025 Rugby Championship have been announced featuring a total of 11 referees from six countries and 330 Tests between them.

Ben O’Keeffe will referee the opening game of the Championship when the Springboks host the Wallabies in Johannesburg, assisted by fellow Kiwi James Doleman and Frenchman Gianluca Gnecchi.

James Doleman will then take the whistle for the second Wallabies vs Springboks clash in Cape Town the following week.

Le Roux reflects on 100th Test cap

Le Roux reflects on 100th Test cap

The much-anticipated Springboks-All Blacks clash at Eden Park will be referred by the experienced Englishmen Karl Dickson, with Assistants Nika Amashukeli of Georgia and Jordan Way of Australia. The TMO will be Australian Brett Cronan.

Georgian referee Amashukeli will take the whistle for the second All Blacks-Springboks Test in Wellington, with Australians Angus Gardner and Jordan Way assistants. Frenchmen Eric Gauzins will take over the TMO duties.

Three assistant referees will make their tournament debuts in Morné Ferreira (South Africa), Sam Grove-White (Scotland) and Angus Mabey (New Zealand), along with one Television Match Official in Andrew Jackson (England).

World Rugby High Performance 15s Match Officials Manager Joël Jutge said: “Our collective focus continues to be on delivering the best match officials for the world’s best tournaments.

“The Rugby Championship 2025 will include some of our most experienced match officials, while at the same time allowing others to gain experience in such a high-level tournament.”

“Unashamedly our goal is ensuring we are fully prepared for Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia with the match officials’ team performing to its fullest potential, facilitating an exciting game for players and fans.

“The Rugby Championship represents a major milestone on the journey to Australia for match officials and anticipation is again high for the 2025 tournament as the top talent from Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa do battle for southern hemisphere supremacy.”

The full list of officials is available here.