Earleir in April, World Rugby announced their 12-member panel that will referee at Rugby World Cup, as well as listing the seven assistant referees and four television match officials who will also officiate in matches at the World Cup, which starts on 18 September with England versus Fiji at Twickenham.
France will provide three of these referees in the form of Jérôme Garcès, Romain Poite and Pascal Gauzere. New Zealand, South Africa, England and Ireland will provide two each with one from the Welsh Rugby Union.
But if we ignore who may possibly be playing in the grand final at the end of the tournament, which nationalities may be involved and where it is (Twickenham, obviously), who would be your dream whistler for the World Cup final? In short, who is the best rugby referee in the world right now?
Below is a list of the 12 men tasked with officiating the biggest rugby showcase on the planet. You may not like or rate all of them but this is a simple and straightforward poll: just tick the box for the ref you think is better than the rest.
The results from this poll will feature in the June issue of Rugby World magazine. Get voting…