Match officials for World Rugby U20 tournament set for Nairobi announced
By Collins Amanga, June 16, 2023World Rugby has officially named the match officials for the highly anticipated World Rugby U20 Trophy, set to take place in Nairobi in July.
The governing body of rugby confirmed a distinguished lineup of referees who will officiate the matches at Nyayo Stadium.
Appointed for World Rugby U20
The appointed officials include Sylvain Mane from Senegal, Cauã Ricardo Santos Maria from Brazil, Robin Kaluzniak from Canada, Tevita Rokovereni from Fiji, Kat Roche from the USA, Precious Pazani from Zimbabwe, Saba Abulashvili from Georgia, and Craig Chan from Hong Kong China.
The announcement also brings a significant milestone as Pazani and Roche will become the first female referees to officiate at the World Rugby U20 Trophy tournament.
Pazani’s selection comes as a result of her impressive performance during the World Rugby Challenger Series held in South Africa last month.
She has also gained international experience through officiating at the Rugby World Cup Sevens and prestigious events like the Dubai Invitational Sevens and the Cape Town Sevens in 2022.
Pazani made history in Cape Town by becoming the first Zimbabwean referee to handle a match in the World Rugby Sevens Series.
Pazani in Six Nations
Notably, Pazani proudly represented her country as an assistant referee in the Women’s Six Nations, where she officiated the match between England and Scotland on the opening day of the competition.
Similarly, Kat Roche will mark another significant milestone after she became the third American referee appointed to the Women’s Six Nations. Roche has already made history by being the first woman to referee a Major League Rugby event.
Congratulations Precious Pazani on being named Woman Referee of the year and joint award Referee of the year with Talent Gandiwa. pic.twitter.com/HoQooZILOL
— Chieza Sports (@ChiezaSports) December 20, 2018
She made her international debut as a referee in the test match between the USA and Canada. Roche’s impressive performances also earned her the opportunity to officiate a Rugby World Cup qualifiers
“Eight match officials from seven nations have been appointed for the tournament, including Kat Roche (USA) and Precious Pazani (Zimbabwe) who will make history as the first females to officiate at the World Rugby U20 Trophy,” World Rugby announced.
Promotion from World U20 Trophy
The tournament winners will earn a promotion to the U20 Championship, replacing the team that finishes at the bottom of the competition, which will then drop down to the U20 Trophy in 2024.
The USA secured the final spot in the World Rugby U20 Trophy field after a two-legged North American play-off against Canada, winning 82-35 on aggregate.
Having last participated in the U20 Trophy in 2016, the Junior All-Americans aim to replicate their 2012 success when they claimed the trophy on home soil in Utah.
Scotland is the only team new to the U20 Trophy, having been relegated from the U20 Championship in 2019.
The other participating teams, including Uruguay, USA, and Spain, have all previously played in the tournament, with some even securing victories.
The tournament will consist of 16 matches played over a span of 15 days. The group stage will feature three match days, with each team playing three matches within their respective pools.
The final and ranking matches will be held on the last day of the tournament to determine the overall winner and final rankings.
The tournament winner will earn a promotion to the World U20 Championship in 2024, which will be held in the southern hemisphere.