The match officials for the opening round of the IRB Junior World Championship in France have been announced.
The premier Under 20 tournament kicks off this Wednesday in Nantes, Vannes and La Roche sur Yon.
The key developmental competition for players also provides a similar role for aspiring Test referees from all over the world.
Romain Poite, Chris Pollock, Jérôme Garcès and Greg Garner are just some of the established whistle-blowers that have officiated at the IRB Junior World Championship in the past.
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It was also announced today that the scrum will be tightly policed during the IRB Junior World Championship.
IRB High Performance Match Official Joel Jutge has informed the 12 head coaches that the rules around the scrum will be strictly enforced.
The scrum must be stable prior to engagement, after the engagement and the referee will decide when the ball can be fed into the scrum. This measure will be implemented out of respect for the Laws of the Game and as a means of improving player welfare. The scrum half will also have to feed straight into the scrum.
Free kicks will be awarded for infringements with penalties given for repeated infringements.
Joel Jutge said: “I spoke to the coaches this week and I reiterated the need for consistent application of the Law book. The referees have been reminded of their obligation to penalise clear and obvious offences during the matches.”
“I congratulate all the match officials on their appointments, and I’m looking forward to watching some great Rugby over the next few weeks here in the north west of France.”
South African referee Stuart Berry will take charge of “Le Crunch” when France and England face each other at La Roche-sur-Yon.
Englishman Luke Pearce will officiate when Ireland meet Australia in a crucial Pool B match in Vannes, while Italian Marius Mitrea will be in the middle when Argentina meet Scotland in the Pool C encounter in Nantes.
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The IRB Junior World Championship is part of a process to ensure the highest quality referees are in place for Rugby World Cup in 2015 in England, as it gives officials the perfect environment to learn from each other as a group, focus on continual coaching, assessment and mentoring to ensure the best-possible standards of consistency and performance.
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For more information on #JWC2013, follow @irbjuniors on Twitter or Facebook at facebook.com/irbjuniorworldrugby.
