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The South African

Springboks vs Australia: Here's who will referee the Ellis Park Test

The Springboks will have a New Zealand referee in charge for their opening 2025 Rugby Championship Test against Australia in Johannesburg on Saturday, 16 August. The clash at Ellis Park will kick off at 17:10. Ben O'Keeffe, 36, will be the man with the whistle. He will be assisted by compatriot James Doleman and Italy's Gianluca Gnecchi. France's Tual Trainini will be the TMO, while New Zealand's Richard Kelly will be the Foul Play Review Officer (FPRO). The Springboks have an excellent record with O'Keeffe in charge having won nine, lost two and drawn one of the 12 matches he has officiated to date. O'Keeffe has taken charge of three previous Springboks vs Wallabies matches – and South Africa are unbeaten having won two and drawn once. In the only Test O'Keeffe has refereed the Springboks at Ellis Park, South Africa beat England 42-39 in June 2018. Date Opponent Result Venue 17 Jun 2017 France Win: 37-15 Kings Park, Durban 30 Sep 2017 Australia Draw: 27-27 Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein 11 Nov 2017 Ireland Lose: 3-38 Aviva Stadium, Dublin 9 Jun 2018 England Win: 42-39 Ellis Park, Johannesburg 18 Aug 2018 Argentina Win: 34-21 Kings Park, Durban 31 Jul 2021 Britain Win: 27-9 Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town 3 Sep 2022 Australia Win: 24-8 Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney 8 Jul 2023 Australia Win: 43-12 Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria 23 Sep 2023 Ireland Lose: 8-13 Stade de France, Paris 15 Oct 2023 France Win: 29-28 Stade de France, Paris 21 Oct 2023 England Win: 16-15 Stade de France, Paris 28 Sep 2024 Argentina Win: 48-7 Mbombela Stadium, Mbombela 16 August: South Africa vs Australia – Ellis Park, Johannesburg – 17:10 23 August: South Africa vs Australia – Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town – 17:10 6 September: New Zealand vs South Africa – Eden Park, Auckland – 09:05 13 September: New Zealand vs South Africa – Sky Stadium, Wellington – 09:05 27 September: South Africa vs Argentina – Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban – 17:10 4 October: Argentina vs South Africa – Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London – 15:00 Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.