Japan v France – Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)

Grade: B+

Strong Control

Ben O’Keeffe produced a composed display in Japan, keeping an entertaining contest moving with minimal intervention. His communication was clear throughout and players from both sides appeared to understand where the line had been drawn.

Good Use of Advantage

One of O’Keeffe’s biggest strengths was his willingness to play advantage. Rather than blowing his whistle at every opportunity, he allowed attacks to develop while remaining quick to return for penalties when no benefit materialised. It made for a fast, enjoyable spectacle.

A Few Inconsistencies

There were one or two breakdown decisions that frustrated both teams, while a couple of marginal calls at the scrum could have gone either way. However, none had a significant bearing on the outcome and he remained consistent with his overall interpretation.

Verdict

O’Keeffe rarely became the story, which is usually the sign of a good refereeing performance. While not flawless, he controlled the game well, communicated effectively and made the vast majority of the big calls correctly.

Report:

Assistant Referees: Andrea Piardi (Italy) & Luke Pearce (England)

TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)

FPRO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)

Fiji v Scotland (Murrayfield, Edinburgh) – Referee: Matthew Carley (England)

Grade: C

Kept up with the frenzy

Matthew Carley had certainly been getting the cardio in ahead of this thrilling clash, as the Flying Fijians were in full flight with end-to-end action on display at Murrayfield. With a plethora of handling errors, thumping tackles and pulsating phases of play, Carley had his hands full to make sure he ran a tight ship in the Scottish sunshine.

Overuse of the TMO was a drawback

His first point of call was to determine the outcome of Scotland’s opening surge across the Fijian try-line, as Jonny Gray batterned down the hatches for a close range drive. A swifdt check with the TMO confirmed the score, in what was a solid start on the whistle for the Englishman.

There was plenty of TMO checks and close-calls from Matthew Carley, with the Scots repeatedly driving over the line and into Fijian defenders. Whilst Josh Bayliss was denied his five-pointer in the second half, Carely worked well with the TMO to award Jamie Dobie’s sniping effort at the hour mark. A needless TMO check on Scott Cummings try delayed the inevitable try, with the referee happy to slow down the pace and go to the TV studio quite a few times.

Tagitagivalu was let off the hook

Carley sent Fijian back row Lekima Tagitagivalu to the sin bin for a dangerous collision with George Horne, as the scrum half took a blow to the head at the back of a ruck. Tagitagivalu’s sanction was left to the disgression of the off-field review, before the yellow card became the final decision for a latter return.

Report:

Assistant Referees: Eoghan Cross (Ireland) & Anthony Woodthorpe (England)

TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)

FPRO: Leo Colgan (Ireland)