URC Grand Final between Stormers and Munster: Italian referee to whistle

Andrea Piardi will become the first Italian to referee a URC Grand Final after his appointment to this weekend’s title decider between the Stormers and Munster in Cape Town.

The 30-year-old, who will be part of the match officials team for the upcoming Rugby World Cup in France, made his league debut in February 2019 when he took charge of Munster’s clash against the Southern Kings and has gone on to make 35 appearances and seven in EPCR competitions.

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Piardi has enjoyed high-profile appointments over the past two seasons in the playoffs where he refereed two knockout games in 2022 and most recently the Glasgow Warriors versus Munster quarter-final earlier this month.

Piardi’s match officials team will consist of Mike Adamson (Scotland) and Craig Evans (Wales) as assistant referees, while Ben Whitehouse (Wales), will serve as TMO.

The team will have the combined experience of 244 league games.

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URC REFEREES BOSS ON GRAND FINAL MATCH OFFICIALS SELECTION

Speaking about the selections, Tappe Henning, URC Head of Match Officials, said:

“It is the biggest day of the season for the teams and the same is true for our referees. We have a very competitive group of senior officials, so the independent selection panel has had a lot to consider.”

“In the URC we have to balance neutrality and performance and Andrea fits nicely into those categories. We have seen strong displays from him this season backed up by confident decision-making and clear communication.”

“I would like to congratulate Andrea on this important selection and I look forward to seeing him in action in Cape Town.”

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GRAND FINAL INFORMATION

Match: Stormers v Munster
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Kick-off time: 17.30 IRE & UK / 18.30 ITA & SA
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR, 36th league game)
AR 1: Mike Adamson (SRU)
AR 2: Craig Evans (WRU)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
Live broadcasts on: SuperSport, TG4, Viaplay, Premier Sports, Discovery +, FloRugby.com & URC.

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This article was originally published by Mariette Adams.