XV of France – In the footsteps of Jaco Peyper and Wayne Barnes, airline pilot, Lionel Messi… Five things to know about Damian Schneider, the referee of France – Japan

• He is younger than Maxime Lucu

If Damian Schneider is still unknown to the general public, it is mainly because he is only 31 years old and has not yet had the opportunity to referee major matches with worldwide influence. This Saturday, for example, he will direct Maxime Lucu, 6 months older. However, the Argentinian has already officiated in major matches, and his selection for this tour is not the result of chance. For example, he held the whistle during the U20 6 Nations Tournament in 2022, the U20 World Cup in 2023 (see below) and especially during the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.

He's probably not the only Argentinian fan of Lionel Messi, but he has every reason. He was born in Rosario, like “La Pulga”. Although he is undoubtedly too young to have known him in the streets of his city, he has learned to live with Rasario as he lives to the rhythm of the footballer's exploits. Despite all this, he was more attracted by the oval ball than by its round cousin. As a child, he played in the local club the Old Resian Rugby Club and when he was not on the field, he never missed an opportunity to watch rugby on TV. It was an injury at the age of 17 that forced him to turn to the whistle.

• He wanted to become an airline pilot

But the young Damian Schneider had another passion, he wanted to travel. As a child, he dreamed of becoming an airline pilot to discover the world through his travels. Although rugby quickly caught up with him, he keeps his childhood dream in the back of his mind and still wants to learn to fly when he has put down his crampons and his whistle. Today, the oval ball allows him to travel and, in a way, to do what he always wanted.

• He refereed the U20 World Cup final

If the world of rugby does not yet know him, this young Argentine referee will bring back some good memories to the French. He was the one who officiated during the 2023 U20 World Cup final, a meeting which crowned the Bleuets against Ireland. None of the young roosters present in South Africa that day will be on the lawn of the Stade de France this Saturday (Emilien Gailleton and Louis Bielle-Biarrey were preparing the World Cup with the XV of France), but his whistle visibly smiles on the Blues.

• He is a lawyer like Jaco Peyper and Wayne Barnes

He is not yet a referee of international stature, in any case he has everything to become one and follows in the footsteps of his most illustrious predecessors. Like Jaco Peyper and Wayne Barnes, he is a lawyer by training and continues to practice in the family business. Enough, perhaps, to facilitate his communication on the ground with Antoine Dupont and his Japanese sidekick Harumichi Tatekawa.