French ref Mathieu Raynal retiring after July international rugby window

DUBLIN (AP) — French referee Mathieu Raynal will retire after the July international rugby window, when he will take charge of his 50th test.

Raynal controlled his first test in 2009 and has become the 13th most capped referee in history.

He’s refereed at two Rugby World Cups, eight Six Nations and five Rugby Championships.

“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,” the 42-year-old Raynal said on Tuesday in a statement through World Rugby.

“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.”

Raynal made a remarkably bold decision in a 2022 Bledisloe Cup match to ping Australia for taking too long to kick a penalty to the touchline in Melbourne. New Zealand used the rarely given time wasting penalty to score a try and win.

In the fallout, Raynal deleted his social media to protect his family from abuse. World Rugby dropped him down the referees list but it has since encouraged refs and passed new laws to speed up the game.

Among the tests Raynal officiated were Ireland’s first win over the Springboks in South Africa in 2016, Ireland’s first win over the All Blacks in 2016 in Chicago, South Africa’s 2021 series-clinching win over the British and Irish Lions, and Italy’s 24-21 win over Wales this month in the Six Nations.

“He has always performed at a high technical level, but he has also been an excellent teammate for the group of match officials, sharing all the knowledge he has gained over more than a decade at the top to help the less experienced match officials progress on the world stage,” World Rugby elite men’s referees manager Joël Jutge said.

“Our group always appreciated his strength of character, his convictions, his leadership, not forgetting his unstoppable sense of humour. He was a great part of our organisation. We are certain that he has inspired young hopefuls who will be keen to follow in his footsteps in the very near future.”

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby