France's Pascal Gauzere has been handed the whistle for the
IRB Junior World Championship 2010 final between two-time defending
champions New Zealand and Australia at the Estadio El Coloso del
Parque in Rosario on Monday.
Gauzere, who is refereeing in his third IRB Age Grade
tournament, follows in the footsteps of Ireland's Peter
Fitzgibbon and James Jones of Wales in refereeing the Junior World
Championship finals.
"I'm very happy to referee the final," admitted
Gauzere. "It's a good opportunity for me to referee at the
best level of this tournament. I think the level of all the teams
here has been very good and I'm very excited and happy to have
been given this honour.
"I think the final will be a tough game, a very fast
game with how both sides like to play and New Zealand or Australia
have a good chance to win the final. They are on a similar level
and will create opportunities to score and so be crowned
champions."
The 33-year-old has seen his friend and compatriot Jerome
Garces - along with Chris Pollock, Keith Brown and Andrew Small -
graduate from the 2009 tournament to the IRB International Referee
Panel and believes his JWC experiences will help him to follow
suit.
"I think for a referee if you want to go to the
International Panel it is necessary to come and referee in this
tournament. I will take my experiences away from this tournament
and I hope to make it to the International Panel next year or in
the future.
"Jerome and the others are my inspiration because if
they can go from the Junior World Championship to the International
Panel then why not me as well? I think I have an opportunity to go
to the Panel if I keep working hard."
IRB Referee Manager Paddy O'Brien has been impressed by
Gauzere in the tournament.
"This is Pascal's third Age Grade tournament and
after each one he has been asked to work on some areas of his
game," explained O'Brien. "He has arrived here in
Rosario having taken those on board and has impressed the selectors
with his accuracy and demeanour on the field. He thoroughly
deserves his opportunity to referee this final and is seen by the
IRB Selectors as a referee with immense potential."
Play-offs
The final kicks off at 19:10 local time on Monday (08:10
Australian time and 10:10 New Zealand time on Tuesday) at the
Estadio El Coloso del Parque in Rosario, when Gauzere will have
Federico Anselmi of Argentina and Uruguay's Luis Caviglia as
assistant referees and Santiago Bonsani as TMO.
Five other play-offs take place on Monday, including the
battle for third place between two-time runners up England and
South Africa which kicks off at 16:45 local time wiith
Argentina's Francisco Pastrana as the referee with Anselmi and
Caviglia assisting.
The fifth place play-off between hosts Argentina and France at
the Estadio CA Colon in Santa Fe will be refereed by Peter Allan of
Scotland, while South Africa's Jaco Peyper takes charge of the
Wales and Fiji encounter for seventh place overall. Nathan Pearce
of Australia and Uruguay's Joaquin Montes will run the line for
both matches in Santa Fe.
New Zealand's Garratt Williamson will referee the ninth
place play-off between Ireland and Scotland at the Club Atlético
Estudiantes in Paraná, before John Lacey of Ireland takes charge of
the 11th place play-off between Samoa and Tonga. Argentine duo
Emilio Traverso and Martin Rodriguez will act as assistant referees
for both matches.
