WELLINGTON – Sanzaar has named Welsh referee Nigel Owens to take charge of Saturday's Rugby Championship clash between the All Blacks and the Springboks at Westpac Stadium, in Wellington, New Zealand.
Owens is one of the world's best known and most experienced referees. He has refereed at three Rugby World Cup tournaments and is no stranger to the Rugby Championship having refereed two matches last year.
The second match of the round on the Gold Coast at cBus Super Stadium will see Irish referee John Lacey in the middle as the Wallabies host the Pumas. He made his Rugby Championship debut in 2014 taking charge of the South Africa v Argentina match in Pretoria. Last year he refereed the corresponding fixture in Canberra which was won by the Wallabies.
The weekend's list of match officials
New Zealand vs South Africa:
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant 1: Pascal Gauzere (France)
Assistant 2: Nic Berry (Australia)
TMO: Rowan Kitt (England)
Irish referee John Lacey. Photo: Henry Browne/Reuters
Australia vs Argentina:
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant 1: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Assistant 2: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)