France’s Mathieu Raynal will retire from refereeing following the July international window. Image: John Ross / EPA
France’s Mathieu Raynal has announced that he will retire from refereeing following the July international window.
France’s Mathieu Raynal will retire from refereeing following the July international window. Image: John Ross / EPA
World Rugby chairperson Sir Bill Beaumont has led the tributes to France’s Mathieu Raynal, who on Tuesday announced that he will retire from refereeing following the July international window.
Raynal joins a lengthy list of referees to hang up their whistles in recent times, including Wayne Barnes and Jaco Pepyer.
Raynal will take charge of his 50th Test during the window, becoming the 13th World Rugby referee to reach the milestone and second this year after England’s Luke Pearce.
That will see the 42-year-old become the fourth Frenchman to hit the half century after Romain Poite, Jérôme Garcès and Pascal Gaüzère.
The Perpignan-born official has refereed in eight Six Nations, five Rugby Championships and two Rugby World Cups, including the 2023 edition on home soil in France.
Mathieu Raynal said: “This sport has given me a lot and refereeing it at the highest level for all these years has been a privilege and a great honour.
“After 18 years in the professional game and almost 350 games refereed, the end of the season will be time to bring to an end an activity which I have deeply loved and which has given me unforgettable experiences on pitches all around the world.
“Even if I had the power to do so, I would not change anything in my journey to this point, including, above all, the most difficult moments. Those moments awoke me to the limitless power of courage, fortitude and resilience and they also allowed me to enjoy the good times with even greater relish and intensity.
“I thank my family and my friends, for everything. Thank you to the FFR, to the LNR, the staff at World Rugby, to the players, coaches and my refereeing brothers in arms. The trust, friendship and support which I have received from them during the course of my career are immeasurable and will remain the greatest treasure of my journey.”
Beaumont added: “Mathieu is a fantastic referee and should be incredibly proud of what he has achieved at the highest level of the game. We are certainly proud.
“It takes a special type of person to thrive as an international match official and he has done that superbly over the last decade. Mathieu is a great role model for aspiring referees, a great person, a credit to his nation, and will be remembered as one of the very best.
“He has played a huge role in the advancement of officiating on the world stage and cares deeply about supporting the next generation of match officials, and I am pleased that he will be putting his extensive experience to good use as he begins an exciting new chapter.”