Takehito Namekawa Appointed AR for All Blacks vs France July 2025 Tests, Brave Blossoms vs Wales Match Officials Confirmed

World Rugby has confirmed the Emirates Match Official appointments for a busy window of July 2025 rugby internationals, and among the 24 referees from 11 nations to take charge of 27 tests in the test window is Takehito Namekawa from the JRFU, who will be the Assistant Referee for two NZ vs France tests.

The team of match officials for the Japan XV vs Māori All Blacks and Brave Blossom two-test series versus Wales were also confirmed.

The mid-year 2025 test rugby window runs from 20 June – 2 August and will see a total of 38 matches played, with 28 referees used in total. Included are the appointments for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia.

Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Andrea Piardi (Italy), and Nika Amashukeli (Georgia) will each take charge of one Lions test in Australia, with Richard Kelly (New Zealand), Eric Gauzins (France) and Marius Jonker (South Africa) the three Television Match Officials selected. Piardi and Nika Amashukeli become the first Italian and Georgian, respectively to take charge of a Lions test, said World Rugby.

Chair of the Emirates World Rugby Match Officials Selection Committee, Su Carty said: “With new global competitions to commence in 2026, our long-term focus continues to be on ensuring we have a widened pool of top level international match officials on the road to Rugby World Cups in the USA, and this selection represents that strategic ambition.”

World Rugby High Performance 15s Match Officials Manager, Joël Jutge added: “Our collective focus continues to be on arriving at Australia 2027 with a team performing to its fullest potential, facilitating an exciting game for players and fans.

The foundations are in place with the ‘critical few’, co-created and agreed with coaches in 2024 as performance indicators around speed, space, safety, scrum and lineout. We are collectively focused on consistent application and the 2025 July tests represent another milestone on the road to Australia.”

Takehito Namekawa Appointed AR for All Blacks vs France July 2025 Tests

Namekawa first took up the sport at the age of 10 when he was invited to join the local rugby club, where one of his teachers was a prominent official. The Toin Gakuen High School pupil continued to develop his game while at the famed rugby academy, Teikyo University, making the switch from fly-half to scrum-half at the same time.

He played for a decade with Toyota Verblitz and captained the side in 2015 before hanging up the playing boots in 2022.

The now-JRFU match official will be the Assistant Referee for two New Zealand v France tests which take place at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin on Saturday, 5 July, 2025, and at Sky Stadium, Wellington on Saturday, 12 July, 2025.

Lipovitan D Challenge Cup 2025 Match Officials

Japan XV vs Māori All Blacks Chichibunomiya Rugby Ground, Tokyo – Saturday 28 June, 2025 

Match Officials

Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU)
Assistant Referee 1: Luke Pearce (RFU)
Assistant Referee 2: Damian Schneider (UAR)
TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)

Brave Blossoms vs Wales July 2025 – Match Officials

The home Brave Blossom fixtures vs Wales match officials were also confirmed.

Photo Credit: JRFU Nov 2024

Japan v Wales Mikuni World Stadium, Kitakyushu – Saturday, 5 July 2025

Referee: Damian Schneider (UAR)
Assistant Referee 1: Karl Dickson (RFU)
Assistant Referee 2: Luke Pearce (RFU)
TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)
FPRO: Glenn Newman (NZR)

Japan v Wales Noevir Stadium, Kobe – Saturday, 12 July 2025

Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU)
Assistant Referee 1: Karl Dickson (RFU)
Assistant Referee 2: Damian Schneider (UAR)
TMO: Glenn Newman (NZR)
FPRO: Ian Tempest (RFU)

World Rugby added that appointments for the Pacific Nations Cup (which involved Japan), The Rugby Championship and the World Rugby U20 Championship will be announced over the coming weeks.

Japanese Rugby News 2025

• New Zealand University Will Tour Japan In May 2025.
• Eddie Jones Reacts to Japan U23 Opening Tour Win in Australia.
• Japan Sakura Fifteens and Brave Blossoms 2025 Domestic Fixtures Announced.
• Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix Coaches – Rhodes Lea & Aimee-Leigh Campbell.