- Hollie Davidson to create history as first female to referee a Men’s Six Nations match
- Referees from eight national unions selected across the 15 matches
- Matthew Carley set to reach 50 test appearances in the middle
The Emirates World Rugby Match Officials have been confirmed for the Guinness Men’s Six Nations 2026.
Fourteen referees from eight nations with 487 tests between them, will take charge of the 15 matches that comprise the championship, which kicks off on 5 February.
Karl Dickson (England) will take charge of the opening match between France and Ireland at the Stade de France, with Nic Berry (Australia) bringing the curtain down at the same venue when England visit on 14 March.
Highlights include:
A total of 33 officials representing nine nations selected across the 15 matches
Karl Dickson will referee two matches in the tournament
Matthew Carley (England) will take charge of his 50th test match with Wales v Scotland in Cardiff on 21 February, becoming the 17th official in history to reach the milestone
Carley will become the fourth official on the current panel to referee 50 tests after Luke Pearce (England), Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand) and Angus Gardner (Australia)
World Rugby Referee Award 2025 recipient Hollie Davidson will create another piece of history as the first female to referee a Men’s Six Nations match with Ireland v Italy on 14 February
Luc Ramos (France) makes Men’s Six Nations referee debut. Katsuki Furuse (Japan) will make his Men’s Six Nations debut as an assistant referee, as will Olly Hodges (Ireland) as a Television Match Official
World Rugby High-Performance 15s Match Officials Manager Joël Jutge said: “Congratulations to all selected. As we look ahead to another busy and exciting year of international rugby, we remain focused on delivering high performance through consistency, clarity and accountability. Like any high-performance team, we are relentless in our pursuit of growth, with a strong ability to review, learn and move forward in collaboration with the game’s major stakeholders.
“The team is highly motivated to set the highest standards and we recognise the need to double-down on aiding game flow and ensuring consistency of decision-making when it comes to permanent red cards and 20-minute red cards. This means, any foul play meeting the yellow card threshold should go to the bunker for review, while the permanent red card remains for acts of intentional foul play. With that in mind, we are fully committed to strengthening alignment and shared understanding with coaches, broadcasters and fans ahead of the Six Nations.
Appointments have also been made for the U20 Men’s Six Nations 2026 with 11 referees on World Rugby’s Talent ID pathway to take charge of the matches between 6 February and 15 March, nine of whom will make their debuts in the middle in the competition.
VIEW U20 SIX NATIONS APPOINTMENTS
Kevin Bralley (France) will referee the opening match between Italy and Scotland in Treviso and is one of four officials to take charge of two matches, the others being Luke Rogan (USA), Reuben Keane (Australia) and Gonzalo de Achaval (Argentina).
Saba Makharadze (Georgia) will referee France v Italy in Villeneuve d’Ascq on 21 February, leading a first-ever team of four Georgian officials selected by World Rugby with Saba Abulashvili and Mariam Goguadze as assistant referees and Soso Japaridze as TMO.
With thanks to World Rugby
