CEO Alan Gilpin says World Rugby is considering the introduction of a centralised panel of elite referees to officiate at Test level.
Speaking recently on the Rugby Unity podcast, Gilpin revealed that the idea – similar to the system used by the ICC – had already been discussed internally.
The concept, initially suggested by Eddie Jones, would see the world’s top referees contracted centrally and assigned primarily to international matches, with the aim of improving consistency in decision-making.
“It’s certainly something we’ve talked about several times and it’s something we’ll continue to look at,” Gilpin said.
“The ICC do it in cricket where they have a group of elite match officials and we do have that group of defined elite match officials.
“But our challenge is that they go back into other competitions under the direction of referee managers in other competitions with slightly different remits.”
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The issue has become more pronounced with differing law interpretations between competitions such as the Vodacom URC and and Super Rugby Pacific, with trial laws not uniformly applied.
Gilpin confirmed that former NZ Rugby CEO Mark Robinson has been tasked with leading a review into officiating standards with a view to helping standardise the application of laws across the sport.
“He is looking at issues around consistency, game philosophy, the use of the television match official and how we get that balance right,” he said.
Robinson officially joins World Rugby in May.
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Gilpin added that broader discussions around a global rugby calendar were also progressing — a move that could ease player workload and align competitions more effectively.
This is especially significant for Springbok players, with South Africa the only country where players play in northern and southern hemisphere competitions and are in action all-year round.
MORE: ‘Springbok schedule not sustainable’
Photo: Xavier Laine/Getty Images
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CEO Alan Gilpin says World Rugby is considering the introduction of a centralised panel of elite referees to officiate at Test level.
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