Rugby World Cup: Jaco Peyper referee of the opening match between France and New Zealand

2023-08-23 02:02:32

Less than three weeks before the opening match of the Rugby World Cup, all the players in this meeting are now known. After the announcement of the selections of France and New Zealand, the organizing committee announced on Tuesday the appointment of Jaco Peyper as main referee. The South African is already the man who officiated in the last match of the XV of France in the World Cup, the quarter-final against Wales in 2019.

This match was marked by the red card of Sébastien Vahaamahina. During a maul, the second row elbowed Aaron Wainwright, his Welsh opponent, in the face. A gesture watched for several minutes by Jaco Peyper, before he decided to brandish the red card, which caused the fall of the Blues, beaten by a small point.

Although logical, this exclusion turned into controversy after the meeting, when a photo of the South African referee miming the nudge alongside Welsh supporters was published on social networks. Serge Simon, then vice-president of the French Federation, had deemed this photo “shocking”, while a World Rugby investigation opened an investigation. Despite his apologies, Jaco Peyper was dropped from the semi-finals, before returning as linesman in the match for third place.

Referee Jaco Peyper in black among the Welsh fans after the game. A cliché that is debating.

Two new rules

Four years later, it will therefore be him again who will referee the Blues during the first match, particularly crucial, against the All Blacks. Eleven other referees will officiate in the center of the field, including Frenchman Mathieu Raynal and Englishman Wayne Barnes, who will participate in his fifth Rugby World Cup.

Note that two new rules were formalized yesterday and will apply during this World Cup. First, the “Bunker” will be used. This regulation allows the referee not to directly award a red card to a player if the situation is not completely clear. To avoid wasting too much time analyzing the images while the game is stopped, the referee can give a yellow card and make a cross with his arms to give the signal to the video referee to analyze the situation. The game can then resume, and the referee can award a red card after analysis if the situation merits it. The clock showing players the time allowed for a conversion or a penalty has also been validated and will be visible in stadiums across the country.