Lions v Argentina referee James Doleman was caught up in 'throat-slitting' incident

Wales Online

3 hours ago

Lions v Argentina referee James Doleman was caught up in 'throat-slitting' incident
The British & Irish Lions kick off their summer schedule with a match against Argentina in Dublin on Friday night
Referee James Doleman (L) sends the Hurricanes' captain Ardie Savea to the sin-bin
(Image: WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images )
The British & Irish Lions get their summer under way tonight with a date against Argentina in Dublin.
The 1888 Cup is on the line in the Irish capital and will be the first opportunity for players from the four unions to lay down a marker for starting spots in Australia next week.
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The Lions are playing three Tests against the Wallabies in a series which is really beginning to raise excitement levels.
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In charge of the game tonight is referee James Doleman, who made his Six Nations debut in 2023. Here's all you need to know about the New Zealand-born official.
Who is James Doleman?
Hailing from Tauranga, New Zealand, Doleman spent a significant part of his youth in the Philippines and China, starting his refereeing career while still a student. His first game was in 2007 at the age of 16, overseeing an under-nines match at a school tournament in Hong Kong, although he humbly confessed that his initial outing was "rubbish".
After officiating the World Rugby Under-20 Championship final in 2019, he ascended to handling his first Super Rugby game in the subsequent year and made his international refereeing debut the year before he was selected for the Australia versus England Test series opener in 2022.
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Doleman embraced his Six Nations refereeing debut at just 31 years old during England's second-round fight against Italy in 2023. Upon receiving the appointment, he shared with South China Morning Post: "It's one of those goals as a referee. Aside from the World Cup, the Six Nations is the pinnacle."
He added: "Being involved in a tournament like that, with the history, coming from New Zealand, the fans up north make the Six Nations very special. At the end of the day, referees get into refereeing because we're fans of rugby. The reason I do it is to be involved in those occasions."
Jones criticism
However, Doleman faced criticism from England's former coach Eddie Jones after overseeing a match where England lost 30-28 to an Australian side that was one man down for more than 45 minutes.
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In a turn of events during the game, Australia's Darcy Swain was sent off for headbutting Jonny Hill, but despite this, the Wallabies managed to secure a significant lead and subsequently resisted England's late surge to claim their first victory over the Red Roses after eight previous defeats.
Jones' team suffered their fourth consecutive defeat, leaving the coach visibly annoyed after the match. He suggested referee Doleman was "evening things up" for Australia following Swain's sending off, stating he had observed similar responses to red cards in the past.
"That always happens," he proclaimed. "You look at the history of the game, whenever you get a red card the referee evens it up. That's normal and we've got to be good enough to handle it.
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"When you play against 14 men the referee has a significant impact on the game and you've got to be good enough to understand what that is and we weren't good enough to understand what that is. And therefore we paid the price."
'Throat-slitting' incident
Doleman was at the heart of a shocking episode that sent ripples across rugby in 2023 when New Zealand's Ardie Savea made a chilling gesture at an opponent during a game.
It occurred just prior to the interval in the Super Rugby tie between Melbourne Rebels and Savea's Hurricanes, when a massive scuffle erupted. It featured Dane Coles and Rebels second-rower Josh Canham going head-to-head, with both sides jumping in to calm the commotion.
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In the midst of the fracas, Savea forcefully knocked Rebels fly-half Carter Gordon to the ground, leading to a heated verbal exchange after which Gordon chose to walk away.
Doleman, after conferring with his assistant referees Paul Williams and Graham Cooper, determined that while the initial tussle between Canham and Coles was nothing more than "push and shove", it was Savea who had indeed intensified the confrontation.
Savea, who had already been penalised for another infringement, received a yellow card for his actions. He attracted ironic applause from Rebels scrum-half Ryan Louwrens as he left the field, triggering an incensed reaction from the back-rower, who gestured towards Louwrens with a throat-slitting motion.
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The commentary team was visibly shocked by Savea's gesture, and Doleman's microphone caught someone exclaiming: "He's threatening to f*****g kill him, he's threatening to kill him."
Savea offered an apology post-match, conceding that his behaviour was not befitting for younger spectators.
"I can understand the fans are furious with the gesture that I made," Savea explained to Sky Sports. "It's just a heat of the moment kind of thing, you know. It's footy, but I understand kids are watching us.
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"We're in the heat of the moment and that's out of character for me, so I put my hand up first and apologise for that. I've got to be better, we're trying to clean up the game. I understand... there's no excuse for me, I've got to be better."
Lions v Argentina officials
Referee: James Doleman (NZ) Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Geo) & Andrea Piardi (Ita) TMO: Eric Gauzins (Fra) FPRO: Matteo Liperini (Ita)