Pierre Brousset will referee Wales’ Six Nations opener against England at Twickenham on Saturday.
The 37-year-old French official is back at Allianz Stadium a year on from taking charge of his first Championship fixture at the same venue, when England faced Scotland.
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That appointment came just 12 months after injury cruelly denied him what would have been his tournament debut.
Brousset had been due to oversee Ireland v Italy in Dublin in February 2024 but was forced to withdraw late on, with England’s Luke Pearce stepping in as his replacement.
His first Six Nations game last year actually brought about some controversy, with Scotland narrowly losing that Calcutta Cup clash 16-15.
Head coach Gregor Townsend revealed after the game that the officials admitted to him they had made a mistake in where they placed Finn Russell’s crucial last-minute conversion, which could have seen the Scots win the game.
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“I think we all knew that the try was scored further infield,” Townsend said after the game last year. “It happens and we can’t change history now.
“I don’t think it’s good for the game to have captains in referees’ faces. You’ve got to trust the referee to make the right decision.
“The referee with the TMO, that’s a really crucial relationship now. They are the ones that have to make the decisions without captain influence and some referees will respond even more negatively if captains are constantly asking them questions.”
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Referee Pierre Brousset -Credit:Getty Images
A former scrum-half in France’s lower leagues, Brousset made the decision to swap playing for officiating while still a teenager.
By 2018, he had become a full-time professional referee and at one stage was the youngest official in the Top 14.
He has since built up experience on the international stage, taking charge of fixtures in the Rugby Championship, the Autumn Nations Series and at Under-20 level.
But working a Six Nations match had long been his dream.
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“I was a player until I was 20,” Brousset said previously.
“I had the opportunity to take the referee’s exam by chance when I was talking to someone about refereeing. I thought it might be interesting to know the laws properly.
“That’s how it all started when I was 17. I passed my first exam and then I refereed my first matches.
“Two years later I stopped playing to try my hand at refereeing. I was asked to make a choice so that I could go on to the highest level.
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“When I made the decision to stop playing, it was my second senior season and I understood the level I was going to reach as a player. I was in Fédérale 3 at Sporting-Club de Rieumes, occasionally in the first team.
“So I said to myself that if I wanted to aspire to a bit of top-level rugby, why not give it a try?
“My initial goal was to be in Fédérale 1 within five years. I started to immerse myself in refereeing and here I am, goal after goal.”
Match officials for England v Wales at Twickenham, February 7:
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Referee: Pierre Brousset (FFR)
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Assistant Referee 1: Nic Berry (RA)
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Assistant Referee 2: Morné Ferreira (SARU)
