South Africa v New Zealand referee: Who is first Test official Matthew Carley?
The Englishman is one of the referees for this year’s series
Matthew Carley, an English rugby referee born in Deal, will preside over the inaugural Test match between South Africa and New Zealand in the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series. Carley began his refereeing career at the age of 16, progressing through the Kent system while attending university in Gloucestershire. He joined the Rugby Football Union (RFU) national panel and made history as the first referee to officiate a professional game while wearing a body camera during the 2012/13 Championship season.
Carley made his Premiership debut soon after, becoming a consistent presence in the top tier of English rugby. He made his international debut in 2015, officiating Portugal vs Spain, and took charge of a Tier 1 nation's match in November 2016, handling the Scotland vs Georgia game. At the 2019 World Cup, Carley served as an assistant referee, acting as a touch judge across all matches.
He was one of three debutants selected for the 2023 World Cup, participating as an English referee in France. For the upcoming South Africa vs New Zealand Test, Carley will be supported by Karl Dickson and Nika Amashukeli as assistant referees, with Mike Adamson serving as the television match official and Eric Gauzins as the foul play review officer.
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