Nika Amashukeli to referee Four Nations match between New Zealand and Argentina
Amashukeli began his 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. Photo: www.rugby.ge.
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Georgia’s Nika Amashukeli will continue his rise to the top of the rugby refereeing by being given oversight of a Four Nations game between New Zealand and Argentina this summer, the Georgian Rugby Union announced on Friday.
Amashukeli will take to the pitch in Christchurch on August 27 to judge the fixture of the premier tournament of the Southern Hemisphere, before working as assistant referee in a second game between All Blacks and Los Pumas on September 3.
???? Just wow | Nika Amashukeli to become not just first Georgian, but first referee from Tier 2 Nation to officiate @AllBlacks vs @lospumas test???? ????#ჩვენირეფი #კაირეფი pic.twitter.com/fcaTVEpLUm
— Georgian Rugby (@GeorgianRugby) July 21, 2022
During the summer series in July, the Georgian referee was assigned to two games between the South Africa and Wales, and credited the experience in subsequent comments.
It was an unforgettable three weeks of my life. South Africa is a truly special country when it comes to rugby. The rivalry between two rugby nations – South Africa and Wales – has always been, is and will be outstanding. […] It is a great honour for me to be a part of all this”, Amashukeli said in comments.
Amashukeli began his 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.
Last year, he became the first referee from a Tier 2 rugby country to judge a game between Tier 1 teams by refereeing a fixture between Wales and Canada at Cardiff's Principality Stadium. The achievement followed his becoming the first Georgian referee to be appointed to an Under-20 Six Nations game involving England and Italy in 2019.
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 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff for a fixture between Wales and Canada.
Over a dozen rugby professionals from Georgia are involved in High Performance Academy, a new remote initiative by World Rugby governing body designed to maintain preparedness of the sport for its post-pandemic relaunch.
Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli will become the first rugby professional from the country in the Six Nations elite tournament when the young official steps onto the pitch to judge a match between England and Italy Under-20 national teams in the United Kingdom next March.
Teona Sturua has become the first Georgian female referee of the FIFA international category and will judge international matches, the Georgian Football Federation announced on Friday.