Latest news with #JamesDoleman
The South African
2 days ago
- Sport
- The South African
Springboks gets English referee for All Blacks Test at Eden Park
The match officials have been confirmed for this year's Rugby Championship which takes place between 16 August and 4 October. A total of 11 referees representing six nations, and boasting 331 Tests worth of experience, will take charge of the 12 matches. There are once again no South African referees among those 11 assigned matches during the tournament. The Springboks are the defending Rugby Championship champions. The 2025 edition of the Rugby Championship will see four of the world's top seven ranked teams battle it out across four continents and 11 cities. Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand) will take charge of the opening match between South Africa and Australia at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 16 August, with Andrea Piardi (Italy) to referee the last match between Argentina and South Africa at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham on 4 October. In between, New Zealand's James Doleman will referee the Springboks' match against Australia in Cape Town, while England's Karl Dickson will have the whistle for South Africa's first clash against New Zealand in Auckland. The second Test between the two bitter rivals in Wellington will be handled by Georgia's Nika Amashukeli. Australian Angus Gardner will take charge of the Springboks' clash against Argentina in Durban. South Africa v AustraliaEllis Park, Johannesburg Saturday, 16 August Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (NZR)Assistant Referee 1: James Doleman (NZR)Assistant Referee 2: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)TMO: Tual Trainini (FFR) FPRO: Richard Kelly (NZR) Argentina v New ZealandEstadio Mario Alberto Kempes, Cordoba Saturday, 16 August Referee: Pierre Brousset (FFR)Assistant Referee 1: Nic Berry (RA)Assistant Referee 2: Morné Ferreira (SARU)TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU) FPRO: Damon Murphy (RA) South Africa v AustraliaCape Town Stadium, Cape Town Saturday, 23 August Referee: James Doleman (NZR)Assistant Referee 1: Ben O'Keeffe (NZR)Assistant Referee 2: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR)TMO: Richard Kelly (RA) FPRO: Tual Trainini (FFR) Argentina v New ZealandEstado Velez Sarsfield, Buenos Aires Saturday, 23 August Referee: Nic Berry (RA)Assistant Referee 1: Pierre Brousset (FFR)Assistant Referee 2: Morné Ferreira (SARU)TMO: Damon Murphy (RA) FPRO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU) Australia v ArgentinaQueensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville Saturday, 6 September Referee: Paul Williams (NZR)Assistant Referee 1: Christophe Ridley (RFU)Assistant Referee 2: Sam Grove-White (SRU)TMO: Mike Adamson (SRU) FPRO: Glenn Newman (NZR) New Zealand v South AfricaEden Park, Auckland Saturday, 6 September Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU)Assistant Referee 1: Nika Amashukeli (GRU)Assistant Referee 2: Jordan Way (RA)TMO: Brett Cronan (RA) FPRO: Eric Gauzins (FFR) Australia v ArgentinaAllianz Stadium, Sydney Saturday, 13 September Referee: Christophe Ridley (FFR)Assistant Referee 1: Paul Williams (NZR)Assistant Referee 2: Sam Grove-White (SRU)TMO: Glenn Newman (NZR) FPRO: Mike Adamson (SRU) New Zealand v South AfricaSKY Stadium, Wellington Saturday, 13 September Referee: Nika Amashukeli (GRU)Assistant Referee 1: Angus Gardner (RA)Assistant Referee 2: Jordan Way (RA)TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR) FPRO: Brett Cronan (RA) New Zealand v AustraliaEden Park, Auckland Saturday, 27 September Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)Assistant Referee 1: Matthew Carley (RFU)Assistant Referee 2: Morné Ferreira (SARU)TMO: Marius Jonker (SARU) FPRO: Andrew Jackson (RFU) South Africa v ArgentinaHollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban Saturday, 27 September Referee: Angus Gardner (RA)Assistant Referee 1: Pierre Brousset (FFR)Assistant Referee 2: Angus Mabey (NZR)TMO: Brett Cronan (RA) FPRO: Damon Murphy (RA) Australia v New ZealandOptus Stadium, Perth Saturday, 4 October Referee: Matthew Carley (RFU)Assistant Referee 1: Pierre Brousset (FFR)Assistant Referee 2: Morné Ferreira (SARU)TMO: Andrew Jackson (RFU) FPRO: Marius Jonker (SARU) Argentina v South AfricaAllianz Stadium, Twickenham, England Saturday, 4 October Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)Assistant Referee 1: Nika Amashukeli (GRU)Assistant Referee 2: Christophe Ridley (RFU)TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU) FPRO: Matteo Liperini (FIR) Andrea Piardi will referee two matches, a year on from becoming the first Italian official to take charge of a Rugby Championship match. Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand) and Angus Gardner (Australia) are the most experienced referees on the panel with 50 Tests. 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.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Irish Times
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Owen Doyle: Let's hope the Lions' penalty try is a sign of things to come
If James Doleman, the New Zealand referee, and his crew had made even a small fraction of the number of errors the Lions managed, they would rightly have been run out of town. Argentina had not played in more than six months, had players unavailable and had three new caps. Opposite them, on more or less home soil, were Andy Farrell 's men – the best of the best. Or so we thought. Instead they delivered a disappointing, disjointed performance. Before the match we were treated to a video of Farrell addressing his troops. He was particularly keen to relate his phone call to Finlay Bealham , advising the Irish player of his elevation to the squad. I can only imagine that this is part of a documentary that will be released after the tour. Based on what we saw it won't be in the running for an Oscar, but it might well be an unhelpful distraction. There was little cutting edge to the Lion's play until Ellis Genge broke free with a mighty run, which finished with Tadgh Beirne crashing over the try line. I thought that would ignite the Lions, but no. They fizzled, while Argentina sparked. READ MORE Doleman did well and he's not in any way responsible for the downfall of this particular pride of Lions. His award of a penalty try for a collapsed maul is a call not made often enough, the visiting prop Mayco Vivas was the culprit. As the tour continues it will be interesting to see whether this is now policy. It should be. Doleman only gave five penalties against the Lions, whereas Argentina were pinged 12 times. These included four scrum penalties, which I had a couple of question marks about. That doesn't make me right, it simply confirms that there is a hell of a lot of disagreement around scrum calls. Does anyone really know what to look for when watching a scrum? Photograph:Doctors differ, patients die – the stakes are different for scrum refereeing but these debatable penalties have a massive bearing on the game. For all their law tinkering World Rugby seem content to let this quite ludicrous situation continue. The final of Super Rugby Pacific saw plenty of scrum penalties, with critical field positioning changing frequently as a result. Specialist World Rugby groups have been formed to study this and that, but nothing on the scrum. It's extraordinary. Perhaps the three wise monkeys are at play – see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. World Rugby, however, have been busy revising the disciplinary hearing procedures. Instead of having judicial hearings, red cards and citings will now be studied by a foul play review committee (FPRC). This will be done quickly after the match and the player will then be informed of the outcome, with the right of appeal. The rationale is to speed up the process, undoubtedly a good thing in itself. But will we see tougher, deterrent suspensions? I wouldn't count on it. There was talk recently of four-week automatic minimum suspensions, which would have been a real step in the right direction. However, on Saturday when England's Immanuel Feyi-Waboso went close to beheading his French opponent, Antoine Hastoy, we saw what the future holds, and it ain't good. The FPRC, on their very first mission, stated that the player's actions 'carried a high degree of danger'. So far, so good. But then the committee seemed to veer completely off-piste by determining that a staggeringly lenient two-week sentence would suffice. It includes a week off for attending tackling school, which, conveniently, has been kept open for business. Minimal suspensions, allied to the dangerous idea of balancing safety with spectacle, simply do not stack up. Following this judgement we can undoubtedly expect more of the same. It is precisely what the game does not need. Hollie Davidson's decision not to give Feyi-Waboso a straight red card – it was upgraded on review – also shows us just how much things are changing. Obviously, something truly horrific will be required before that colour is ever to be produced by a referee. There has also been speculation that it did not merit a straight red because it was a timing and technique failure by Feyi-Waboso. If flagrant, highly dangerous challenges are to be portrayed in that sort of excusatory language, it would be nothing more than a dishonourable pretence, a sham. France's Antoine Hastoy bears the brunt of a timing and technique failure by Immanuel Feyi-Waboso. Photograph: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire 'They put their heads where you wouldn't put a shovel,' were the words of Jack Conan crediting his players after he had done a really fine job captaining Leinster to URC victory. In one short sentence, no doubt unintentionally, Conan spoke to the dangers of sub-concussive knocks to the head. A game that requires players to put their heads where a shovel shouldn't go might usefully be considered in serious need of urgent remedial attention. World Rugby and member unions, including coaches, are the custodians of the game. In time, those who are currently involved will move on. They must strive to hand it over to those who come next in a better condition than it is now. There is much to do for that to happen. Neither should anybody forget the very large elephant in the room. Last month saw the final date for players suffering from brain disease to join UK solicitors Ryland Garth's lawsuit. It involves a long list of well-known former internationals and Lions players. The number from rugby union involved is about 750. That's the equivalent of more than 30 match day squads. There are also at least two women, former Welsh internationals Nic Evans and Jamie Kift. Early on-set dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) know no boundaries. It is both frightening and tragic.
Times
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Times
Tommy Freeman tried — but Lions tactics will not work with bad kicking
The British & Irish Lions didn't lose to Argentina for lack of effort. They didn't lose because of any overriding tactical aberration. Through the course of the 80 minutes, their discipline was outstanding. Much as supporters like nothing more than to blame a referee, James Doleman, if anything, was instinctively on the side of the Lions. He needed the help of the TMO despite being in the ideal position to see Luke Cowan-Dickie clearly fail to ground the ball for a 'try'. There were other examples. The sea of red supported them all the way. As for the opposition, Argentina have, if anything, had a poorer preparation than the Lions. There are no excuses. Tommy Freeman, the Lions wing, summed up an evening that — far from wishing to forget — Andy Farrell's men will do well to remember. This is what happens when effort is eclipsed by inaccuracy and sub-standard execution. Freeman is a superb player but nothing went his way in Dublin on Friday night. Nothing went his way and yet he did exactly what his coaches would have wanted in terms of what he set out to do: Chase those box-kicks, sprint after every restart, get hands on the ball as often as possible. Hunt the ball infield. That's the essence of Freeman. He gives, and gave, everything. From the first to last minute of his performance, he was taking his typical run-up, behind the box-kicker, to compete in, and usually win, those aerial contests. In Dublin, he must have sprinted a 1,000 metres without one clean catch. Argentina's wings are less physically imposing than Freeman and Scotland's Duhan van der Merwe but they were far more effective chasers. That is not just about the respective abilities of those wide players, though, more a profound reflection of the difference in quality of the tactical kicking. Freeman can time his chases from Northampton Saints and England team-mate Alex Mitchell in his sleep but Mitchell's kicking was too often a metre too long. These were not bad kicks but they weren't good either. At the highest levels these fine margins are critical. Whereas Mitchell was OK, his opposite number, Gonzalo García, was outstanding. In the opening ten minutes, the tone was set as the Lions chased in vain and Argentina made frequent gains and turnovers. Mitchell must be disappointed with his performance. He failed to kick-start the Lions. As for Freeman, he produced a fabulous example of how to work off his wing. Sweeping from right to left, he persistently carried hard into the midfield of Argentina. Unfortunately, the passes he received were usually a fraction off target, as Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu failed to find the English wing's wavelength. Little combined errors resulted in collective failure. Tuipulotu, the Glasgow Warriors centre, hasn't played much rugby this season; his rustiness was part of Freeman's frustrations in midfield, just as his scrum half's slightly long kicks helped to explain the ineffective chase game. Tuipulotu needs game time. His lack of sharpness is understandable. Mitchell at No9 wasn't bad but nor was he good enough to press for a Test place. Nothing quite fitted for Freeman. It wasn't a memorable night for Fin Smith, either . A poor cross-kick could, maybe should, have conceded a first-half try while penalty kicks to the corner lacked the vicious precision expected. His all-round game was tentative. If anyone questioned Finn Russell's status as Test No10, this game should have ended any such delusions. Nor did things fall the way of Van der Merwe. He showed the reason for his selection, rampaging into midfield once to shatter the defensive plans of opposition analysts, as James Lowe does for Ireland. However he looked positionally weak beneath the high kick. Whereas Freeman was invariably in the right position, the beefy wing on the opposite side was worryingly ten metres out of position beneath one cross-kick, which left Smith isolated and knocking on. There's no doubt that Van der Merwe is a brilliant broken-field operator but with Australia head coach Joe Schmidt hoping to unleash the unique athleticism of Joseph Suaalii in the wider parts of the pitch, the Scot appears vulnerable. It was noticeable that when Mack Hansen emerged from the bench, he offered more industry and variety than the prolific finishing of Van der Merwe. There is no such thing as a good defeat but Farrell's men have only lost a sporting battle (to write 'skirmish' would be to insult Felipe Contepomi's Argentina). There is no shortage of effort or intensity and the serious stuff is yet to come. By the time the Lions play Western Force in Perth next Saturday, their execution will need to be better than it was on a Friday when it was Argentina, despite missing a host of their Top 14 stars, who shone. The 1971 Lions lost to Queensland en route to their one and only series win in New Zealand. Far better in the immediate aftermath of defeat to praise the Pumas rather than panic about the Lions. Friday night's fix can be a relatively quick one, even though this vintage lacks Edwards, John, Davies and JPR. Optus Stadium, PerthSaturday, 11amTV Sky Sports Main Event
Wales Online
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Lions v Argentina referee James Doleman was caught up in 'throat-slitting' incident
Lions v Argentina referee James Doleman was caught up in 'throat-slitting' incident The British & Irish Lions kick off their summer schedule with a match against Argentina in Dublin on Friday night Referee James Doleman (L) sends the Hurricanes' captain Ardie Savea to the sin-bin (Image: WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images ) The British & Irish Lions get their summer under way tonight with a date against Argentina in Dublin. The 1888 Cup is on the line in the Irish capital and will be the first opportunity for players from the four unions to lay down a marker for starting spots in Australia next week. The Lions are playing three Tests against the Wallabies in a series which is really beginning to raise excitement levels. In charge of the game tonight is referee James Doleman, who made his Six Nations debut in 2023. Here's all you need to know about the New Zealand-born official. Who is James Doleman? Hailing from Tauranga, New Zealand, Doleman spent a significant part of his youth in the Philippines and China, starting his refereeing career while still a student. His first game was in 2007 at the age of 16, overseeing an under-nines match at a school tournament in Hong Kong, although he humbly confessed that his initial outing was "rubbish". After officiating the World Rugby Under-20 Championship final in 2019, he ascended to handling his first Super Rugby game in the subsequent year and made his international refereeing debut the year before he was selected for the Australia versus England Test series opener in 2022. Article continues below Doleman embraced his Six Nations refereeing debut at just 31 years old during England's second-round fight against Italy in 2023. Upon receiving the appointment, he shared with South China Morning Post: "It's one of those goals as a referee. Aside from the World Cup, the Six Nations is the pinnacle." He added: "Being involved in a tournament like that, with the history, coming from New Zealand, the fans up north make the Six Nations very special. At the end of the day, referees get into refereeing because we're fans of rugby. The reason I do it is to be involved in those occasions." Jones criticism However, Doleman faced criticism from England's former coach Eddie Jones after overseeing a match where England lost 30-28 to an Australian side that was one man down for more than 45 minutes. In a turn of events during the game, Australia's Darcy Swain was sent off for headbutting Jonny Hill, but despite this, the Wallabies managed to secure a significant lead and subsequently resisted England's late surge to claim their first victory over the Red Roses after eight previous defeats. Jones' team suffered their fourth consecutive defeat, leaving the coach visibly annoyed after the match. He suggested referee Doleman was "evening things up" for Australia following Swain's sending off, stating he had observed similar responses to red cards in the past. "That always happens," he proclaimed. "You look at the history of the game, whenever you get a red card the referee evens it up. That's normal and we've got to be good enough to handle it. "When you play against 14 men the referee has a significant impact on the game and you've got to be good enough to understand what that is and we weren't good enough to understand what that is. And therefore we paid the price." 'Throat-slitting' incident Doleman was at the heart of a shocking episode that sent ripples across rugby in 2023 when New Zealand's Ardie Savea made a chilling gesture at an opponent during a game. It occurred just prior to the interval in the Super Rugby tie between Melbourne Rebels and Savea's Hurricanes, when a massive scuffle erupted. It featured Dane Coles and Rebels second-rower Josh Canham going head-to-head, with both sides jumping in to calm the commotion. In the midst of the fracas, Savea forcefully knocked Rebels fly-half Carter Gordon to the ground, leading to a heated verbal exchange after which Gordon chose to walk away. Doleman, after conferring with his assistant referees Paul Williams and Graham Cooper, determined that while the initial tussle between Canham and Coles was nothing more than "push and shove", it was Savea who had indeed intensified the confrontation. Savea, who had already been penalised for another infringement, received a yellow card for his actions. He attracted ironic applause from Rebels scrum-half Ryan Louwrens as he left the field, triggering an incensed reaction from the back-rower, who gestured towards Louwrens with a throat-slitting motion. The commentary team was visibly shocked by Savea's gesture, and Doleman's microphone caught someone exclaiming: "He's threatening to f*****g kill him, he's threatening to kill him." Savea offered an apology post-match, conceding that his behaviour was not befitting for younger spectators. "I can understand the fans are furious with the gesture that I made," Savea explained to Sky Sports. "It's just a heat of the moment kind of thing, you know. It's footy, but I understand kids are watching us. Article continues below "We're in the heat of the moment and that's out of character for me, so I put my hand up first and apologise for that. I've got to be better, we're trying to clean up the game. I understand... there's no excuse for me, I've got to be better." Lions v Argentina officials Referee: James Doleman (NZ) Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Geo) & Andrea Piardi (Ita) TMO: Eric Gauzins (Fra) FPRO: Matteo Liperini (Ita)
Perth Now
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Brumbies denied by Crusaders in Canberra battle
The ACT Brumbies have seen their Canberra fortress raided by the Crusaders, who snatched a top two spot on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder in a thrilling final round clash. While the Chiefs locked down the No.1 ranking with a win over the Highlanders earlier on Friday night, the Brumbies and Crusaders met in a battle for second position with the Kiwi outfit victorious, 33-31. The visitors hit the front in the 76th minute with reserve hooker George Bell peeling off a maul to dive over. His try came after referee James Doleman missed a clear knock-on by Sevu Reece in the previous play. With little more than a minute to play it looked like Brumbies winger Corey Toole might put his side back in the lead as he pin-balled through the defence, but Scott Barrett dislodged the ball from his arms three metres from the tryline. The third-placed Brumbies, the top-ranked Australian side, will now to host the team that finishes fourth - the Hurricanes or Queensland - in the qualifying finals next weekend. By finishing in the top two the Crusaders are now guaranteed to host a home semi-final provided they win their week one final. The Brumbies trailed 25-14 at halftime with the Crusaders dominant in every aspect, with their line-speed in defence and physicality at the breakdown causing the home side headaches. A phenomenal team try by the Brumbies ?#SuperRugbyPacific | #BRUvCRU Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) May 30, 2025 But Canberra started the second half with intent, with prop Rhys Van Nek burrowing across. The Brumbies then set up a heart-stopping finish when they drew level at 28-28 with their opponents after Noah Lolesio converted a try by Andy Muirhead in the 56th minute. After some quick hands Muirhead still had plenty of work to do but the winger showed his will to drag three defenders across the line. A penalty strike by Lolesio then put his team ahead with eight minutes to play but the Crusaders - the most successful team in the competition's history with 14 titles - wouldn't be denied.
