Jérôme Garcès

Jérôme Garcès (born 24 October 1973) is a French former international and professional rugby union referee who currently works as a discipline and refereeing advisor for the France national team.

Jérôme Garcès
Garcès before a Top 14 match in 2015
Date of birth (1973-10-24) 24 October 1973
Place of birthPau, France
Rugby union career
Refereeing career
Years Competition Apps
2006–2019
2006–2018
2008–2019
2009
2010–2019
2011–2019
2013–2019
2015–2019
2017		 Top 14
Challenge Cup
Heineken Cup/ERCC
IRB Junior World Championship
Test matches
Six Nations Championship
The Rugby Championship
Rugby World Cup
British & Irish Lions tour

Originally from Béarn, France, he was a regular referee in the Top 14 and also officiated in the European EPCR Challenge Cup and Champions Cup competitions for a long time. At international level, Garcès refereed matches at the Six Nations Championship, The Rugby Championship as well as the Rugby World Cup, and in 2019 became the first French referee to take charge of the World Cup final, after which he retired.

Regarded at the time as one of the best officials in the world,[1][2] he was renowned for his pedagogy and his intent to protect the players' physical integrity and welfare.[3][4]

Biography

Jérôme Garcès was born on (1973-10-24)24 October 1973 in Pau, France and played as a wing at an amateur level in his hometown club of Arudy.[5] After a hand injury occurring in 1994, he started to officiate and became a Top 14 match referee in 2006.[5] He made his first full international appearance in 2009, by refereeing the 2009 Junior World Championship in Japan.[6] He joined the IRB referees elite panel next year, after four years of elite level officiating.[6] His international senior test debut was between England and Barbarians in the 2010 mid-year tests.[7]

In 2011, Garcès made his debut as match official in the Six Nations Championship. Having been appointed as an assistant referee in the annual Calcutta Cup match between Scotland and England, he became match referee in the 58th minute after the original referee Romain Poite was injured during play.[8] Later this year, Garcès was named as an assistant referee for the 2011 Rugby World Cup,[9] and served as touch judge for four matches – Ireland v Russia, Fiji v Namibia, Samoa v Namibia and Wales v Namibia.

Garcès took charge of the England v Italy match in the 2012 Six Nations Championship. He also refereed matches between British & Irish Lions and club teams during the 2013 Lions tour to Australia. In 2015 he refereed Japan's memorable victory over South Africa at Brighton's Falmer Stadium during the World Cup. He later refereed his first World Cup semi-final when he took charge of the New Zealand vs South Africa game.[10]

In 2017, he was chosen to referee at the Lions Tour to New Zealand. After being appointed as an assistant referee for the first game, he officiated in the second test and showed a red card to Sonny Bill Williams in the 24th minute after a shoulder charge to the head of Lions wing Anthony Watson. His decision was heavily criticised by New Zealand supporters but backed by pundits and former referees.[11][12]

In 2019, he was one of the referees at the 2019 Rugby World Cup and also became the first French referee to take charge of the final after which he retired.[13][14]

In 2021, Garcès joined the France national team coaching staff as a discipline and refereeing advisor.[15]

Finals record
Date Teams Score Fixture Venue
1 June 2013 France Toulon France Castres 14–19 2013 Top 14 final France Stade de France, Saint-Denis
23 May 2014 England Bath England Northampton Saints 16–30 2014 European Challenge Cup final Wales Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff
1 May 2015 Scotland Edinburgh England Gloucester 13–19 2015 European Rugby Challenge Cup final England Twickenham Stoop, London
11 May 2018 Wales Cardiff Blues England Gloucester 31–30 2018 European Rugby Challenge Cup final Spain San Mamés, Bilbao
2 June 2018 France Montpellier France Castres 13–29 2018 Top 14 final France Stade de France, Saint-Denis
11 May 2019 England Saracens Ireland Leinster 20–10 2019 European Rugby Champions Cup final England St James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
15 June 2019 France Toulouse France Clermont 24–18 2019 Top 14 final France Stade de France, Saint-Denis
2 November 2019  England  South Africa 12–32 2019 Rugby World Cup final Japan International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama

References
  1. "Springboks: Jérôme Garcès is one of the best refs". SA Rugby Magazine. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  2. Frost, Stefan (25 February 2022). "The 'huge' role Jerome Garces is playing behind the scenes with France". Rugby Pass. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  3. Kaplan, Jonathan (1 July 2017). "Sonny Bill Williams had to go to protect the integrity of the game". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  4. Knowler, Richard (20 September 2019). "Rugby World Cup: All Blacks lock Scott Barrett to play under red card ref Jerome Garces". Stuff. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  5. "Rugby : Jérôme Garcès en 10 dates clés". La République des Pyrénées (in French). 29 October 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  6. "White bows out of international stage". ESPN. 4 April 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  7. Sempé, Christian (3 June 2010). "Jérôme Garcès, un arbitre à la conquête de l'Ouest". La République des Pyrénées (in French). Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  8. Dobson, Paul (16 March 2011). "Poite the 13th replaced Test ref". Rugby 365. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  9. "IRB announce Rugby World Cup match officials". Rugbyweek.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  10. "Jérôme Garcès arbitre d'Afrique du Sud-Nouvelle-Zélande". Le Figaro (in French). 19 October 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  11. "Lions tour 2017: 'SBW had to go' says former top referee". The New Zealand Herald. 2 July 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  12. Quinlan, Alan (3 July 2017). "Showing Sonny Bill Williams a red card saved rugby's integrity". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  13. Rees, Paul (29 October 2019). "Frenchman Jérôme Garcès to referee Rugby World Cup final". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  14. Teste, Justin (1 November 2019). "Mondial de rugby : Jérôme Garcès, clap de fin au sommet". Paris Match (in French). Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  15. "Jerôme Garcès dans le staff des Bleus pour préparer le Tournoi". L'Équipe (in French). 27 January 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
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