Wales vs Australia referee confirmed. Warren Gatland’s men aim to bounce back from a record 10th straight defeat against Fiji when they face the Wallabies at the Principality Stadium next weekend.
Wales have lost every Test match of 2024 so far and have not gone an entire calendar year without a win since 1937, when they played just three matches.
That has prompted former players, such as Jamie Roberts, Mike Phillips and Tom Shanklin, to criticise Gatland and in some cases, question his future.
The spotlight will be on referee James Doleman, who has quite a story of his own.
The Early Days: “It Was Rubbish”
James Doleman, born in Tauranga, New Zealand, in 1991, began his journey to refereeing prominence in a less-than-glamorous way. Growing up in the Philippines and China, he took charge of his first game at 16, refereeing an under-9s match at a school tournament in Hong Kong. His verdict on that experience? “It was rubbish,” he confessed.
From School Pitches to Super Rugby
Despite a rocky start, Doleman’s career progressed rapidly. By 2019, he was refereeing the final of the World Rugby Under-20 Championship, and the following year, he made his Super Rugby debut. Fast forward to 2022, and he was in charge of his first major Test: the opener of the Australia vs. England series.
Six Nations Dream: “The Pinnacle”
Doleman ticked off another career milestone last year, officiating his first Six Nations match at 31. He took control of England’s second-round clash with Italy and shared his excitement with South China Morning Post: “It’s one of those goals as a referee. Aside from the World Cup, the Six Nations is the pinnacle.”
He added, “Being involved in a tournament like that, with the history, coming from New Zealand, the fans up north make the Six Nations very special. At the end of the day, referees get into refereeing because we’re fans of rugby. The reason I do it is to be involved in those occasions.”
Eddie’s Fury: “Evening Things Up”
James Doleman is no stranger to controversy. In 2022, he landed in hot water with former England coach Eddie Jones after officiating England’s 30-28 defeat to Australia. The Wallabies had played with 14 men for over 45 minutes after Darcy Swain was red-carded for headbutting Jonny Hill. Despite England leading 6-3 at the time, Australia stormed to a 30-14 lead, holding on to secure victory.
Jones didn’t hold back post-match, accusing Doleman of “evening things up” for the Wallabies. “That always happens,” Jones stated. “You look at the history of the game, whenever you get a red card the referee evens it up. That’s normal, and we’ve got to be good enough to handle it.”
He added, “When you play against 14 men the referee has a significant impact on the game, and you’ve got to be good enough to understand what that is. And therefore we paid the price.”
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Referee’s this weekend:
15-17 Nov 2024
Ireland v Argentina
Referee: Paul Williams (NZ)
ARs: Craig Evans (Wal) & Angus Mabey (NZ)
TMO: Richard Kelly (NZR)
England vs South Africa referee
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ire)
ARs: Chris Busby (Ire) & Eoghan Cross (Ire)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wal)
France v New Zealand
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Geo)
ARs: Matt Carley (Eng) & Andrea Piardi (Ita)
TMO: Marius Jonker (SA)
Japan v Uruguay
Referee: Christophe Ridley (Eng)
ARs: Luc Ramos (Fra) & Adam Leal (Eng)
TMO: Tual Trainini (Fra)
USA v Tonga
Referee: Hollie Davidson (Sco)
ARs: Luc Ramos (Fra) & Adam Leal (Eng)
TMO: Tual Trainini (Fra)
Scotland v Portugal
Referee: Takehito Namekawa (Jpn)
ARs: Luke Pearce (Eng) & Antony Woodthorpe (Eng)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ire)
Spain v Fiji
Referee: Morne Ferreira (SA)
ARs: Aimee Barrett-Theron (SA) & Federico Vedovelli (Ita)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (SA)
Romania v Canada
Referee: Sam Grove White (Sco)
ARs: Saba Abulashvili (Geo) & TBC
TMO: Andrew McMenemy (Sco)
Netherlands v Chile
Referee: Jeremy Rosier (Fra)
ARs: Evan Urruzmendi (Fra) & Kevin Bralley (Fra)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (Fra)
Hong Kong China v Brazil
Referee: Katsuki Furuse (Jpn)
ARs: Reuben Keane (Aus) & Morgan White (HKC)
England A v Australia A
Referee: Eoghan Cross (Ire)
ARs: TBC & Joe James (Eng)
TMO: TBC
Wales v Australia
Referee: James Doleman (NZR)
ARs: Karl Dickson (Eng) & Angus Mabey (NZR)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SA)
Italy v Georgia
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (NZR)
ARs: Pierre Brousset (Fra) & Damian Schneider (Arg)
TMO: Glenn Newman (NZR)
