HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2020 Match Officials Appointed

Twenty six match officials from 15 nations will referee the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2020 which commences in Glendale, Colorado on 5-6 October.

This season is set to be the biggest on record with the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series increasing to eight rounds for the first time in history.

The men’s series will once again be contested across ten rounds, kicking off in Dubai on 5-7 December 2019, with six of those events being combined with women’s tournaments.

The 2020 season will culminate with the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games which will see rugby sevens make its second appearance on the Olympic Games programme following its successful introduction at Rio 2016.

Former Canada Women’s international, Julianne Zussman, joins the women’s series panel this season and will make her match officiating world series debut in the opening tournament in Glendale, Colorado.

Zussman represented her country in both fifteens and sevens formats of the game, earning 44 test caps and featuring in three Rugby World Cups throughout her playing career.

Zussman joins an experienced panel of referees on the women’s series who have impressed on the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series over a number of seasons.

The men’s panel features twelve officials who have featured on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series for the last three seasons with the addition of Uruguay’s Francisco Gonzalez who officiated in the Americas Rugby Championship in February this year.

World Rugby Match Officials Selection Committee Chairman, Anthony Buchanan, said, "The standard of officiating across the entire HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series continues to increase year-on-year which is extremely encouraging as we enter a pivotal season for rugby sevens. We have a very experienced unit of referees who have a wealth of experience officiating on the world series, which this year features more women’s events than ever before, before the season culminates with the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. We would like to congratulate Julianne Zussman from Canada who has been selected for her first HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series; the selection committee is delighted with the quality of match officials available for selection for the men’s and women’s series panels and looks forward to another successful season of rugby sevens."

Men’s Sevens Series Panel

James Doleman (New Zealand)
Paulo Duarte (Portugal)
Craig Evans (Wales)
Francisco Gonzalez (Uruguay)
Sam Grove White (Scotland)
Richard Haughton (England)
Richard Kelly (New Zealand)
Damon Murphy (Australia)
Rasta Rasivhenge (South Africa)
Matt Rodden (Hong Kong)
Jeremy Rozier (France)
Damian Schneider (Argentina)
Jordan Way (Australia)

Women’s Sevens Series Panel

Sara Cox (England)
Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Emily Hsieh (USA)
Lauren Jenner (New Zealand)
Adam Jones (Wales)
Sakurako Kawasaki (Japan)
Tyler Miller (Australia)
Ashleigh Murray (South Africa)
Joy Neville (Ireland)
Amy Perrett (Australia)
Madeline Putz (Australia)
Tevita Rokoverneni (Fiji)
Julianne Zussman (Canada)

See also: HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2020 Schedule.

Rugby pictures: Pictures from 2019 Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, Pictures from 2018 Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, Pictures from 2017 Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, Pictures from 2016 Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, Pictures of Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2015, Pictures of the Asia Rugby Sevens Olympic Games Qualifier in Hong Kong, Pictures of Singha Thailand Sevens 2015, Pictures from the 2013 British & Irish Lions Tour in Hong Kong, Pictures of Hong Kong Sevens 2014, Pictures of Hong Kong Sevens 2013, Pictures of Chartis Cup 2012 and Pictures of Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2012.

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