Eager to conclude the autumn tour with a third success in as many matches, the Blues of the XV of France have a meeting with Argentina this Friday evening at the Stade de France.
After their victories against Japan (52-12) and New Zealand (30-29), they will close 2024 before returning to competition on January 31, 2025 against Wales at the opening of the Six Nations tournament. For this last match of the calendar year, the Blues and the Pumas will be refereed by a well-known whistle in international rugby, the young Englishman Luke Pearce, 37 years old.
Officiating in the English championship, Pearce had, in particular, refereed four matches at the 2023 World Cup and has already crossed paths with the French XV on several occasions. The last time was in March 2024 during the Six Nations tournament against Wales… his native country. Born in Pontypool, he however has English nationality. The same situation had already arisen three years ago, in 2021, when Pearce had already been on the whistle for a Wales-France.
He is also the youngest referee to have officiated a European Cup final since it existed. He was 33 years old at the time and it was during the Franco-French final Toulouse – La Rochelle in 2021 won by Stade Toulouse (22-17).
If they are superstitious, the Blues can reassure themselves by saying that they have won 4 of their previous 6 matches refereed by Pearce, for a defeat – memorable, 52-11, against New Zealand in 2018 – and a null. The XV of France notably won the two matches against the Welsh which he refereed.
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