Karl Dickson will be on the whistle between the French XV and Ireland, at the opening of the Six Nations Tournament, this Thursday, February 5 (9:10 p.m.) at the Stade de France.
At 43, the English referee has officiated at the Tournament since 2022 and the Scotland-France match. Although he has now been a referee for more than nine years, Karl Dickson was first a professional rugby union player for 13 years.
Trained with the Bedford Blues, with whom he played in the English second division since 2004, the scrum-half joined Harlequins in 2009 and discovered the highest English level, the Premiership. His track record is growing: Karl Dickson won the Challenge Cup in 2011, and the English championship in 2012.
At the end of the 2016-2017 season and 164 matches played in the Premiership, he announced that he was ending his playing career. However, the Englishman does not move away from his world by becoming a professional referee. A project developed for a long time, since he started his training in 2014.
From 2019, during the World Cup in Japan, Karl Dickson was one of the assistant referees. At 1.75 m tall, he is, in 2023, selected again by World Rugby to referee World Cup matches in France.
Referee of the 2024 France-Ireland lost at the Vélodrome by the Blues
The former number 9 is also familiar with Champions Cup and Challenge Cup matches. Last Friday January 16, he also made a name for himself during the meeting between the Section Paloise and the South Africans of the Bulls, for two controversial actions which resulted in tests against the Béarnais (he pulled the jersey of a South African to advise him to play and disturbed a Palois in defense).
In a few days, the regular at major events will referee a France-Ireland match for the second time. He was also the judge of their penultimate meeting, in Marseille, during the 2024 Tournament. The Blues had been largely dominated by the XV du Trèfle (17-38).
Worth a look
