In a dramatically shocking turn of events, a referee from one of the two countries in the world that operate professional rugby league competitions has been selected to officiate a Test match between those two countries: and oh boy, people are not happy.
Yes, Liam Moore is the man in the middle at Wembley on Saturday afternoon, with Grant Atkins in charge at Everton the following week. Two decisions which are perfectly logical and reasonable, especially when you consider they will be assessed by their superiors in those games and the best man will get the third Test at AMT Headingley.
But this is rugby league. Logical and reasonable is often served up with a side of controversy or, in this case, wild conspiracy theory.
Reluctantly, there were no leading German or Venezuelan match officials available to take the Wembley opener, so we have had to settle for the NRL and Super League’s best officials instead.
There were calls to bring in a New Zealand referee – presumably for the whole series, as Atkins’ appointment for the second Test should be just as big an issue as Moore’s, no? – with Paki Parkinson touted as the top referee from the country.
BREAKING: Liam Moore (Super League’s top referee) will referee the first Ashes Test at Wembley.
Grant Atkins will handle the second test at Everton.
Australian fans will remember Moore’s controversial handling of the 2024 World Club Challenge which saw Wigan defeat Penrith. https://t.co/AnzFkihG9D
— The League Scene (@LeagueScenePod) October 20, 2025
A quick scan online tells you that this year, Parkinson has officiated a grand total of zero NRL fixtures, two NRLW matches and a handful of New South Wales Cup games this year. So yes, let us accelerate his development and thrust him into one of the biggest Test matches there has been in years, in front of a crowd of over 60,000 people.
Yahoo News in Australia say it is a TWIST for Nathan Cleary that Moore is taking charge at Wembley on Saturday. One would assume Cleary has not exactly said to Kevin Walters that the entire playbook needs to be ripped up and rewritten due to the fact an Englishman that once refereed a game he played in will be walking out with him at Wembley.
And of course, the reaction to the Rugby Football League’s confirmation of Moore taking the game has gone down a storm on X if you delve deep into the replies.
🏉 Liam Moore has been appointed to referee the First @ABKbeer Rugby League Ashes Test at @wembleystadium on Saturday
— Rugby Football League (@TheRFL) October 20, 2025
That is the issue in a nutshell. Because Moore made an instinctive, split-second call that he felt Jake Wardle had scored a try in a match nearly TWO YEARS AGO – something the video referee ultimately made the final decision on! – it’s now a certainty that he will do whatever he can to manipulate an England victory. Really.
So theyre trying to ensure that England win the first test so there’s a decider? Gotcha.
— Matt (@Matt3551362) October 20, 2025
The other important thing people might be missing here – and it’s understandable given how Super League effectively lives under a rock in the eyes of some in Australia – is that Liam Moore is actually a pretty good referee. In fact, there’s an argument he’s Super League’s very best match official.
It’s hardly a flavour of the month thing to go around saying, but Moore consistently gets given the bigger games because he’s the best, not because of any other non-rugby reason. He communicates with the players clearly and calmly, he rarely gets sucked into drama and he will ensure Saturday’s Test match is won by the better team, just as he did in the Grand Final.
But that sort of salient explanation doesn’t really wash in the modern world where everything has to be a controversy. We look forward to the equal levels of furore next week when an Australian referees Australia.
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