Who will be the referee for Springboks’ game against Ireland?

Very little separates the Springboks and Ireland, both in terms of the world rankings and their position at the top of the World Cup’s Pool B, and it all makes for what should be an enthralling battle at the Stade de France this Saturday.

Kick off will be at 9pm.

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As ever, there will be a big focus on how the game will be refereed, and this weekend New Zealand’s Ben O’Keeffe will be the man with the whistle.

He will assisted by Mathieu Raynal (France) & James Doleman (New Zealand), while Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand) will be in the TMO box.

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Ireland call for Springboks to be watched closely by referee

Notably this week, Ireland scrum coach John Fogarty called on O’Keeffe to keep an eye on the Boks’ scrumming technique.

“They’re a very big side, so they want to use weight and power and strength early in the scrum to cause as much damage as possible,” Fogarty said.

“That’s evident in how they scrummage. Stability is something that World Rugby and the referees have talked about hugely. Before the ball comes in, there should be a stable scrum.

“For us as a group to understand South Africa, and for the referee to make sure he’s managing that piece, it will be interesting. It’s going to be a huge part of the game.

“We understand the South African scrum, the power that’s in there and we have our plan. We’ll look to impose our game for the 80 minutes.”

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Details of Saturday’s game

Date: Saturday, September 23
Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis
Kick-off: 21.00 (19.00 GMT; 21.00 SAST; 20.00 UK & Ireland time)
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Mathieu Raynal (France) & James Doleman (New Zealand)
TMO: Brendon Pickerill (New Zealand)

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