Piardi, Amashukeli, and O'Keeffe to referee Lions Tests
WORLD RUGBY HAS confirmed that Andrea Piardi, Nika Amashukeli, and Ben O'Keeffe will referee the three Tests between the British & Irish Lions and Australia this summer.
New Zealand's O'Keeffe will referee the first Test in Brisbane, Italian referee Andrea Piardi will be in charge for the second clash in Melbourne, and Georgian official Nika Amashukeli will be on the whistle for the final Test in Sydney.
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32-year-old Piardi and 30-year-old Amashukeli will become the first Italian and Georgian to referee British and Irish Lions Tests.
The same trio of match officials will act as assistant referees for each of the three games Down Under, while Marius Jonker, Richard Kelly, and Eric Gauzins will rotate as the television match officials [TMOs] and foul play review officers [FPROs].
James Doleman, O'Keeffe, Paul Williams, Pierre Brousset, and Piardi will referee the Lions' warm-up games ahead of their three clashes with the Wallabies.
Before travelling to Australia for the Lions Test, Piardi will referee Ireland's clash with Georgia on 5 July. Adam Leal and Ben Whitehouse will be his assistants for that game in Tbilisi, with Matteo Liperini on TMO duty.
English referee Leal will take charge of Ireland's second summer Test against Portugal in Lisbon on 12 July. He will be assisted by Whitehouse and Anthony Woodthorpe, with Liperini named as the TMO again.
For a full list of World Rugby's match official appointments for the men's July internationals, click here.
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