November Test referees revealed: Official who ‘divides opinion’ takes charge of England v All Blacks
Referee Andrea Piardi talks to Maro Itoje and Harry Wilson during the Lions series some weeks before he encountered South Africa's Canan Moodie, inset, in London
Italian referee Andrea Piardi will take charge of England’s glamour Autumn Nations Series clash with the All Blacks on November 15, six weeks after causing a Rugby Championship ruckus at the same ground in London.
It was October 4 when the official came under scrutiny at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham for his decision not to brandish a second yellow card to Canan Moodie.
The Springboks midfielder was sin-binned in the early stages of the Rugby Championship Round Six match for a high tackle, but he escaped receiving a second yellow card when Piardi deemed what appeared to be a deliberate knock-on as accidental.
That decision ignited a huge debate, with even Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus admitting that his young player was lucky to avoid getting binned for a second time, which would have resulted in a red card and given Argentina more of a chance in a match they were to lose 27-29.
“In the eye of the storm…”
It wasn’t the only time Piardi divided opinion this year at Test level, as he was in the eye of the storm that erupted when the British and Irish Lions clinched their Test series win over the Wallabies in Melbourne with a game to spare.
He decided that Jac Morgan had no case to answer for his juddering July 26 clear-out on Carlo Tizzano at a ruck in the lead-up to the defining score, and he caused further Australian frustration when in charge of their Auckland defeat to the All Blacks on September 27.
Having then whistled the South Africa-Argentina game the following week in London, he will now return to Twickenham to take charge of England’s third match of their four-game November series, the visit of New Zealand.
England’s programme will begin with Nika Amashukeli of Georgia as referee versus Australia on November 1, with New Zealand’s Paul Williams on the whistle seven days later for the game with Fiji.
Then, after Piardi’s November 15 appointment against the All Blacks, Steve Borthwick’s side will see out their itinerary with Pierre Brousset of France in charge for the November 23 match with Argentina.
It’s a big month for Brousset as he has also been appointed to referee the Ireland-All Blacks game in Chicago on November 1.
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In total, 34 of the 42 international matches between October 18 and November 29 have Test status, and 23 referees from 11 countries have been selected for duty.
Scotland’s Hollie Davidson, who took charge of the recent England versus France women’s Rugby World Cup final, has been handed two Tests, including Wales v New Zealand in Cardiff on November 22.
Separate appointments for the Final Qualification tournament to determine the 24th and last qualifier for the men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 will be confirmed after the fourth team to join Belgium, Namibia and Samoa is known on October 18.
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Test referee appointments
October 25: Japan v Australia (Ben O’Keeffe, NZR).
November 1: England v Australia (Nika Amashukeli, GRU); South Africa v Japan (Eoghan Cross, IRFU), Scotland v USA (Damian Schneider, UAR), Ireland v New Zealand (Pierre Brousset, FFR).
November 8: Ireland v Japan (Gianluca Gnecchi, FIR), Scotland v New Zealand (Nic Berry, RA), Georgia v USA (Luke Pearce, RFU), England v Fiji (Paul Williams, NZR), Italy v Australia (Andrew Brace, IRFU), France v South Africa (Angus Gardner, RA), Romania v Canada (Ben Breakspear, WRU), Portugal v Uruguay (James Doleman, NZR).
November 9: Wales v Argentina (Ben O’Keeffe, NZR).
November 15: Italy v South Africa (James Doleman, NZR), England v New Zealand (Andrea Piardi, FIR), Georgia v Canada (Paul Williams, NZR), Romania v USA (Sam Grove-White, SRU), Wales v Japan (Matthew Carley, RFU), Ireland v Australia (Karl Dickson, RFU), France v Fiji (Christophe Ridley, RFU), Portugal v Hong Kong China (Hollie Davidson, SRU).
November 16: Scotland v Argentina (Andrew Brace, IRFU).
November 22: Wales v New Zealand (Hollie Davidson, Scotland), Georgia v Japan (Eoghan Cross, IRFU), Spain v Fiji (Damian Schneider, UAR), Ireland v South Africa (Matthew Carley, RFU), Italy v Chile (Andrew Leal, RFU), France v Australia (Luke Pearce, RFU), Portugal v Canada (Morne Ferreira, SARU), Romania v Uruguay (Morne Ferreira, SARU).
November 23: Scotland v Tonga (Luc Ramos, FFR), England v Argentina (Pierre Brousset, FFR).
November 29: Wales v South Africa (Luc Ramos, FFR).
Other internationals
October 18: Japan XV v Australia A (Morgan White, HKCR).
November 1: Barbarians v All Blacks XV (Nic Berry, RA), Munster v Argentina XV (Angus Gardner, RA).
November 7: Bristol v Argentina XV (Nic Berry, RA).
November 8: Spain v Ireland A (Tomas Bertazza, UAR), England A v All Blacks XV (RFU appointment).
November 15: Spain v England A (Morgan White, HKCR).
November 16: Uruguay v All Blacks XV (FFR appointment).