Who is Mathieu Raynal, the referee for England v Argentina at the Rugby World Cup?

Mathieu Raynal was a busy man from the outset when taking charge of England’s World Cup opener on Saturday, sending off Tom Curry for a dangerous tackle just three minutes into the match.

Here is everything you need to know about the Frenchman, who was joined at the Stade Vélodrome by Ben O’Keeffe (NZ), Pierre Brousset (FRA) and TMO Marius Jonker (RSA) in the officiating team.

Who is Mathieu Raynal?

Born in Perpignan in the heartlands of French rugby, Raynal has been refereeing professionally since 2006, and in the Top 14, France’s top tier, since 2007. The 39-year-old played for the professional club of his hometown, USA Perpignan, in the late 1990s, winning a junior French championship in the process.

In 2013, he suffered an horrendous leg break in a Top 14 match between Racing 92 and Montpellier, double-fracturing his tibia and fibula. He was out of the game for a year, making his return in a Top 14 match in February 2014, before returning to international rugby in 2014.

What’s his track record?

Raynal, an official who favours fierce competition at the breakdown, has been refereeing international Test matches since 2009, when he took charge of Malta’s clash with the Netherlands. His first taste of high-profile international officiating came in 2011, however, when he was appointed to four matches for the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship in Italy.

A year later, he was appointed for his first ‘Tier One’ fixture, as he was the man with the whistle for Scotland’s autumn clash with Tonga in Aberdeen. This appointment came a week after he was a touch judge for England’s narrow loss to Australia at Twickenham.

This is Raynal’s second World Cup, with the Frenchman appointed to the panel of officials for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Why is he well known?

Raynal is one of the global game’s highly rated referees and, should France not reach the final of this year’s tournament, the Frenchman would be one of a handful of officials in pole position to referee the tournament’s closing match.

The official made headlines in 2022 after making an incredibly bold, divisive call at the end of the first match of the year between Australia and New Zealand in Melbourne.

With the Wallabies leading, Raynal awarded New Zealand a last-minute scrum on Australia’s five-metre line after Bernard Foley stalled when kicking to touch and was adjudged by the Frenchman of wasting time.

Jordie Barrett scored the match-winning try from the resulting set-piece but Raynal stood by his decision. The official was adamant he made the correct call, claiming at the time that Foley “forced” him into making the decision and adding he had “no option” but to penalise the Wallabies fly-half.

What is his history with England?

The two have not crossed paths too often. Most recently, in the 2023 Six Nations, Raynal took charge of England’s victory over Wales in Cardiff, one of only two wins for Steve Borthwick’s side in the championship.

In 2021, Raynal was the man with the whistle for England’s final Six Nations match, against Ireland in Dublin, which ended in misery for the visitors. A 32-18 behind-closed-doors loss at the Aviva Stadium consigned England to a fifth-placed finish.

A handful of England’s players will have experience with Raynal from the Champions Cup - as well as Jack Willis, playing in the Top 14 with Toulouse - and the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa, where the Frenchman had to pick up the pieces in the second Test following the controversy surrounding Rassie Erasmus and Nic Berry in the first.