A young Georgian referee who once had to retire from the blood box faces the biggest task of his life next month: conducting an All Blacks test.
Nika Amashukeli will be in charge when the All Blacks host Argentina in a Rugby Championship game in Christchurch on August 27.
The 27-year-old may be younger than the two captains on the field – All Blacks skipper Sam Cane is 30, while Julian Montoya and Pablo Matera, who have led the Pumas of late, are 28.
He will also serve as assistant referee for the All Blacks’ second Test against Argentina in Hamilton on September 3, when Australian Nic Berry is in charge.
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Amashukeli is fresh off refereeing the first test in South Africa’s series win over Wales, where he dealt three yellow cards to Welsh players in the Springboks’ 32-29 win.
Young referees are not an entirely new phenomenon. England’s Wayne Barnes – still active in 2022 – was 28 when he refereed the 2007 All Blacks Rugby World Cup defeat to France in Cardiff.
31-year-old New Zealander James Doleman will lead Argentina v South Africa in Buenos Aires on September 17. He made his test debut in July 2021, where he led Australia v France in Melbourne.
Amashukeli became the first Georgian to referee a test with a first-rate team when he was appointed to the Wales-Canada match in July 2021.
Amashukeli – a protege of former Irish referee David McHugh – also refereed Ireland’s 57-6 win over Italy in Dublin in the 2022 Six Nations Championship.
He said at the time of that appointment that he was “more than proud” to be the first Georgian to whistle a Six Nations game.
David Rogers
Referee Nika Amashukeli against Italy captain Michele Lamaro after sending Hame Faiva away during Six Nations Rugby against Ireland in Dublin.
Amashukeli didn’t shy away from tough decisions in the Dublin match, sending Italy’s New Zealand-born hooker Hame Faiva in the first place for a dangerous tackle. He also decreed that scrums are unchallenged after some confusion over whether Italy should continue with 13 players.
Amashukeli grew up playing football but switched to rugby after his father encouraged him to watch Georgia’s games during the 2007 Rugby World.
A former international of the Georgian age group, he went to referee after a spate of injuries and made his test debut in 2015 as a 20-year-old, refereeing half of a match between Montenegro and Estonia.
Clive Rose/Getty Images
Will Goodrick-Clarke of London Irish is shown a red card by referee Nika Amashukeli in a European Challenge Cup match in 2022.
According to his Wikipedia profile, Amashukeli was “injured in the leg with a sharp object” by a team official after a Georgian league match in 2016.
He was sent to the blood box in 2019 during a match in Bedford, England between England and Italy under-20 teams after an accidental collision with an Italian player at the lineout.
Amashukeli suffered a cut on his face and was unable to stop the blood, so he had to leave the field for treatment, with Georgian assistant Shota Tevzadze taking over. Amashukeli returned after fifteen minutes and whistled for the rest of the game.
The Georgian was part of the referee panel for the 2019 World Under-20 Championship in Argentina and has proven himself in the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup matches.
The appointments of the Rugby Championship match officials have been confirmed on the World Rugby website.
Australian Angus Gardner will whistle the All Blacks’ first test against South Africa in Mbombela on August 7 (NZ time), while England’s Luke Pearce will center for the rematch in Johannesburg on August 14.
France’s Mathieu Raynal has been named for the All Blacks-Wallabies Bledisloe Cup match in Melbourne on September 15, with Ireland’s Andrew Brace to attend the second meeting at Eden Park on September 24.
All Blacks’ Rugby Championship Referees
August 7 (NZ time), South Africa in Mbombela: (Australia Angus Gardner).
August 14, against South Africa in Johannesburg: (Luke Pearce, England).
August 27 v Argentina in Christchurch: (Nika Amashukeli, Georgia).
September 3, against Argentina in Hamilton (Nic Berry, Australia)
September 15, against Australia in Melbourne: (Mathieu Raynal, France).
September 24 v Australia in Auckland: (Andrew Brace, Ireland).
Referee Appointments in New Zealand
Paul Williams: Australia v South Africa, Adelaide, August 27.
Ben O’Keeffe: Australia v South Africa, Sydney, September 3.
James Doleman: Argentina v South Africa, Buenos Aires, September 17.