World Rugby confirm match official change for England v Springboks
Referee Mathieu Raynal (left) waits for TMO review before a yellow card for England's Tom Curry (not pictured) during the 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool D match at the Stade de Marseille.
World Rugby have confirmed a match official change for the Rugby World Cup semi-final between England and South Africa at the Stade France on Saturday evening.
After Andrew Brace’s withdrawal, Frenchman Mathieu Raynal will now assist New Zealand referee Ben O’Keeffe.
Match official update
World Rugby confirmed on Friday evening that Irishman Brace has sustained a calf injury and will no longer be able to run the touchline for the World Cup semi-final.
It was set to be Brace’s first Rugby World Cup semi-final. His replacement, Raynal, is an experienced official, having made his World Cup debut as an assistant in 2015.
During the 2019 tournament in Japan, he officiated three pool matches after officiating the 2016 Top 14 final.
Raynal has officiated over 50 Test matches, including Ireland’s historic win over New Zealand in Chicago in 2016 and the decisive third Test of the 2021 British and Irish Lions series.
The Frenchman was the man in the middle for the quarter-final between England and Fiji, which the Red Rose won 30-24 to secure their place in the last-four.
Raynal takes over assistant referee 1, with New Zealander Paul Williams remaining as the second assistant and countryman Brendon Pickerill as the TMO.
In the case that O’Keeffe sustains an injury during the game, Raynal would then take charge of the encounter.
Such a situation occurred during the quarter-final between Wales and Argentina, with Jaco Peyper sustaining a calf injury and his assistant Karl Dickson taking over as the main referee for the remainder of the match.
Saturday’s clash is the fourth time that England and South Africa have met in the knock-out stages of the World Cup.
The Springboks have won the three previous games, in the 1999 quarter-finals and 2007 and 2019 finals.
The updated appointments for England v South Africa
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant referee 1: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant referee 2: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
TMO: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)