South Africa v New Zealand referee: Who is first Test official Matthew Carley?

England’s Matthew Carley will take charge of the first Test between South Africa and New Zealand in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.

Born in Deal, Carley began refereeing at the age of 16, working his way up through the Kent system either side of a stint at university in Gloucestershire.

The official soon made the step up to the Rugby Football Union (RFU) national panel, and became the first referee to officiate a professional game while wearing a body camera during the 2012/13 Championship season.South Africa v New Zealand referee:

A Premiership debut followed soon after, with Carley soon establishing himself as a regular in the top tier of English rugby.

His first international fixture arrived in 2015, with Portugal taking on Spain, and Carley took charge of a first game involving a Tier 1 nation in November 2016, overseeing Scotland against Georgia.

The 38-year-old travelled to the 2019 World Cup as an assistant referee, operating as a touch judge throughout the tournament, and was also the reserve referee if injury or illness prevented one of those selected to take the whistle from officiating.

He was one of three debutants who stepped up to the refereeing panel for the 2023 World Cup, and one of four English referees in France.

Match officials for South Africa vs New Zealand First Test

Referee: Matthew Carley (Eng)

Assistant Referees: Karl Dickson (Eng) & Nika Amashukeli (Geo)

Television Match Official: Mike Adamson (Sco)

Foul Play Review Officer: Eric Gauzins (Fra)