France vs Springboks referee returns to spotlight after four-card controversy

Andrea Piardi will referee South Africa's clash with France tonight, just weeks after overseeing a chaotic Springboks defeat to Australia.

The Italian takes charge at the Stade de France, where his last outing with the Springboks is likely to be fresh in supporters' minds.

Piardi was in the middle for South Africa's dramatic 42-38 defeat to Australia in September.

The Wallabies had built a commanding 42-17 lead before things took a strange turn.

Four Australian players were shown yellow cards late on, leaving the hosts with just 11 men on the pitch.

South Africa fought back with 21 unanswered points but couldn't quite pull off the comeback.

And the cards weren't the only talking point.

Piardi's communication equipment stopped working, forcing him to use a mobile phone to speak with the television match official.

The unusual scenes sparked plenty of debate, with the Italian's handling of the match coming under scrutiny.

Now he's back in charge of the Springboks for another huge Test, this time against France in Paris.

Now, just weeks later, Piardi returns to the spotlight for another huge Springboks fixture.

South Africa face a French side still smarting from their dramatic 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final defeat.

And with so much at stake, every decision could come under the microscope.

World Rugby has confirmed the officials for all six fixtures across the weekend.

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)

Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia)

Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)

Referee: Damián Schneider (Argentina)

Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)

Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)

The full officiating teams, including assistant referees and television match officials, have been published by World Rugby.

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