Rugby World Cup semi-final referees and match officials confirmed

World Rugby have confirmed the referee appointments for the Rugby World Cup semi-finals that see Argentina face New Zealand and England take on South Africa at the Stade de France this weekend.

Australian Angus Gardner will referee the first World Cup semi-final on Friday evening, with Los Pumas and the All Blacks battling it out for a spot in the final.

On Saturday, Ben O’Keeffe will take charge of the second semi-final between England and the Springboks, a replay of the 2019 Rugby World Cup final.

Angus Gardner and Ben O’Keeffe to officiate World Cup semi-finals

Gardner and O’Keeffe will both be officiating their first World Cup semi-final, the latter getting his second knockout match of the tournament after refereeing South Africa’s victory over France.

For Gardner, he takes charge of a World Cup knockout game for the first time in what will be the fifth time he has officiated an Argentina-New Zealand Test match.

The Australian had the whistle for the match which saw Argentina claim an historic 25-15 victory over the All Blacks, their first-ever win over New Zealand, in 2020.

He was also in charge of the two sides’ most recent clash, which New Zealand won 41-12.

O’Keeffe is taking charge of his fifth World Cup match this tournament and officiates an England-South Africa game for a second time.

The last time he officiated this fixture was in July 2018, with the Springboks emerging 42-39 victors.

“The selection is based on merit, and the wider team will remain in contention for the Rugby World Cup 2023 bronze final and final,” a World Rugby statement read.

It added that South African referee Jaco Peyper was not considered for selection in the semi-finals after the calf injury he sustained during the Wales v Argentina quarter-final.

For the second RWC running, Wayne Barnes doesn’t ref a semi-final, presumably with a view to reffing the final

Boks will certainly be used to BOK now, a third big game in a row that he’s been in charge

England won’t have fond memories of the last time he reffed them!#RWC2023

— Paul Eddison (@pauleddison) October 17, 2023

Rugby World Cup semi-final referees

Argentina v New Zealand
Date: Friday, October 20
Kick off: 21:00 local (20:00 BST, 19:00 GMT)
Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Nic Berry (Australia), Karl Dickson (England)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

England v South Africa
Date: Saturday, October 21
Kick off: 21:00 local (20:00 BST, 19:00 GMT)
Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland), Paul Williams (New Zealand)
TMO: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

READ MORE: Rassie Erasmus explains Damian Willemse’s scrum call from the mark in the Springboks’ 22