England vs Japan referee was removed from a match after coach's furious BBC interview
Today at 03:43 AM
The England vs Japan referee is a Welshman the Allianz Stadium on Sunday.
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Taking charge at the Allianz Stadium today is Welsh referee Craig Evans, as Steve Borthwick’s England side look to break a five-match losing streak following their 29-20 defeat to world champions South Africa last weekend.
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A Whistle-Wielding Wonder
Born in Neath in 1991, Evans’ journey into refereeing began when he was just 16. As a teenager, he found himself without a team to play for but quickly discovered a new way to stay involved in the game.
The experts at ACME Whistles were able to grab an exclusive interview with Craig to get to know the referee behind the whistle.
“Both my parents were on the committee for age-grade rugby in my local town – my father was chairman, and my mother was secretary. My team folded because of a lack of numbers, and I thought: ‘What can I do to stay in the game?’“
He took up officiating when his club struggled to find referees. From those humble beginnings, Evans' passion for the whistle grew:
“I just took it upon myself to help the junior section on a Sunday morning. I got a buzz, I thought I'm enjoying this for a different reason, I wanted to achieve things, so I took the route of the whistle.”
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From Sevens to the Six Nations
Evans made his mark on the World Rugby Sevens Series in 2016 and officiated at the 2020 Olympics. But by 2018, he had switched focus to the 15-a-side game, debuting in the Pro14.
He achieved a significant milestone in 2021, refereeing Italy vs. Ireland in the Six Nations and earning a spot in the elite Tier One refereeing group. At last year’s Rugby World Cup, Evans joined TMO Ben Whitehouse as the only Welsh officials at the tournament.
A Difficult Year and a Testament to Hard Work
This autumn, Evans is one of only six referees entrusted with two Test matches. WRU national elite performance referee manager Ian Davies hailed his achievement:
“I am delighted to see Craig selected to a Tier 1 International, England v Japan and Scotland v Fiji. He has had a difficult year on a personal level, and I know his late father Martyn will be watching over him and willing him on.”
The Controversy: 2016’s Pro12 Drama
Evans is no stranger to scrutiny. In 2016, he found himself at the heart of a Pro12 controversy that saw Edinburgh lose 22-21 to the Scarlets. Acting as a touch judge, Evans flagged Edinburgh players as offside during a critical lineout, leading to a match-winning penalty for Scarlets' Aled Davies.
The decision was fiercely debated, with pundits arguing no offence had occurred. Edinburgh coach Alan Solomons didn't hold back, telling the BBC:
“The last penalty, when I looked on the television, there was no offside. I think it is time in this competition we have three neutral officials.”
Edinburgh later filed a “scathing report” on the incident, and Evans was quietly removed from officiating their next match.
22–24 Nov 2024
France v Argentina
Referee: Luke Pearce (Eng)
ARs: Andrea Piardi (Ita) & Morné Ferreira (Sco)
TMO: Ian Tempest (Eng)
Wales v South Africa
Referee: Karl Dickson (Eng)
ARs: Christophe Ridley (Eng) & Damian Schneider (Arg)
TMO: Andrew Jackson (Eng)
Italy v New Zealand
Referee: Pierre Brousset (Fra)
ARs: Nika Amashukeli (Geo) & Ludovic Cayre (Fra)
TMO: Tual Trainini (Fra)
Ireland v Fiji
Referee: Hollie Davidson (Sco)
ARs: Matt Carley (Eng) & Sam Grove White (Sco)
TMO: Mike Adamson (Sco)
Spain v USA
Referee: Saba Abulashvili (Geo)
ARs: Kevin Bralley (Fra) & Evan Urruzmendi (Fra)
TMO: Tom Spurrier (Wal)
Romania v Uruguay
Referee: Adam Leal (Eng)
ARs: TBC & TBC
TMO: Adam Jones (Wal)
Scotland A v Chile
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Ita)
ARs: Federico Vedovelli (Ita) & TBC
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Ita)
Georgia v Tonga
Referee: Luc Ramos (Fra)
ARs: Jerremy Rozier (Fra) & Aimee Barrett-Theron (SA)
TMO: Tom Foley (Eng)
England vs Japan referee
Referee: Craig Evans (Wal)
ARs: Andrea Piardi (Ita) & Morné Ferreira (Sco)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ire)
Scotland v Australia
Referee: Chris Busby (Ire)
ARs: Andrew Brace (Ire) & Eoghan Cross (Ire)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wal)
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