Allison included on Match Official panel for Junior World Championship
South Africa’s Christopher Allison is one of 12 match officials to take the whistle at the Junior World Championship in Georgia, World Rugby announced on Wednesday, with a month to go until the JWC 2026 kicks off.
Fourteen national unions are represented by the 12 referees and four Television Match Officials selected for the expanded age-grade tournament. It runs from 27 June to 18 July in Tbilisi and Kutaisi.
Apart from Allison, who was in charge of last weekend’s SA Cup Final, the other selected referees are Kevin Bralley (France), Ruairidh Campbell (Scotland), Ben Connor (Wales), Gonzalo de Achaval (Argentina), Robbie Jenkinson (Ireland), Reuben Keane (Australia), Saba Makharadze (Georgia), Luke Rogan (USA), George Selwood (England), David Vosalevu (Fiji) and Morgan White (Hong Kong China).
The four TMOs – Matt Rodden (Hong Kong China), Aled Griffiths (Wales), Paulo Duarte (Portugal), and Francisco González (Uruguay) – complete the panel.
World Rugby Talent ID Manager and Tournament Referee Manager Johnny Lacey said: “The selection of this panel highlights the officials that are coming through our pathway system. It’s great to see all of World Rugby’s regional associations and regional competitions represented.
“I would like to thank the regional referee managers and regional competition managers for their work and commitment to developing these officials through their competitions.”
The world’s top 16 u20 teams will play their matches in Tbilisi and Kutaisi, just as they did when the tournament – then called the World Rugby U20 Championship – was held in the country in 2017.
South Africa is the defending champion after beating New Zealand in the 2025 final in Italy. The Junior Springboks also arrive as the recent winners of the U20 Rugby Championship. Earlier in the year, France successfully defended the U20 Six Nations title.
The Junior Boks’ opening clash is against Uruguay on Saturday, 27 June, at the Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi. Ruairidh Campbell, of Scotland, will take the referee’s whistle.
The expanded format sees Fiji, the USA, Japan, and Uruguay joining the 12 teams from the 2025 tournament, with teams split into four pools of four, with two hosted in Tbilisi and two in Kutaisi.
The top teams in each pool will contest the semifinals, while the four second-placed teams will play for the fifth to eighth places. The third-placed finishers will contest positions nine to 12, and the remaining four teams will contest the 13th to 16th places.
Click on the links to see the full match schedule and pools.
Issued by SA Rugby Communications
