Nika Amashukeli to become first Tier 2 rugby country referee to judge top-tier teams
Nika Amashukeli has been making history for Georgian rugby match officials since his appointment to judge an Under-20 Six Nations game between England and Italy in 2019. Photo via Georgia Rugby Union.
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Georgia's Nika Amashukeli will make history next month by becoming the first referee from a Tier 2 rugby country to judge a game between Tier 1 teams, when he takes to the field of Cardiff's Principality Stadium for a fixture between Wales and Canada.
The news was revealed in World Rugby governing body's selection of 21 referees from eight countries designated to lead out teams for 44 games throughout the month. The list was made public this week, with Amashukeli noted in the world governing body's "highlights" of the selection for his debut.
The test fixture will mark the first time in history a referee from a Tier 2 country will adjudge a game involving a Tier 1 side - the international rugby designation known to refer to a group of leading national teams in the sport.
[W]e are delighted to see the likes of Nika Amashukeli from Georgia making his debut in a test involving a Six Nations team
- Graham Mourie, Chairman of the World Rugby Match Officials Selection Committee
It will also mark the young referee's debut in a game involving either a squad from the Six Nations elite tournament (Wales) or one from Rugby Championship, an international competition also involving leading rugby teams.
World Rugby announces match official appointments for the July & August men's tests, including the @lionsofficial tour to South Africa.https://t.co/FxlHm22Pod #rugby via @worldrugby
— World Rugby Media (@worldrugbymedia) June 8, 2021
The selection marks the latest honour in the rising career of Amashukeli, who became the first Georgian referee to be appointed to an Under-20 Six Nations game. The milestone was marked in 2019 when he was the match official for the England youth squad's game with Italy. The development of the professional as an international-level match official has been recognised both by Georgia Rugby Union and World Rugby.
In his reaction to the news Amashukeli said he had received a call from Joel Jutge, World Rugby High Performance Match Officials Manager, who broke the news about the selection. The Georgian said the opportunity was a "great honour" and a "dream come true".
It is a dream come true to be the one to judge the [match] at Principality Stadium, where fans will be admitted to the stands for the first time following the pandemic
- Nika Amashukeli
A week after the Wales-Canada match, set for July 3, the young referee will be in Bucharest to lead the team of referees of another test fixture, this time between hosts Romania and Scotland.
Before the two July matches involving Tier 1 sides, Amashukeli is scheduled to judge two encounters in the Under-20 Six Nations competition, with games between Wales and Italy as well as England and Scotland coming up on his calendar on June 19 and June 25 respectively.
Amashukeli began his rugby career as a player and was selected for the junior national team of Georgia before having to abandon his aspirations following an injury. The athlete switched his focus and began training as a referee, receiving support from Georgia Rugby Union in the new endeavour.
Alongside fellow referee Shota Tevzadze, he has since become the face of the new generation of Georgian referees, marking another dimension in the country's internationally noted progress in the sport.