Mike Adamson has been appointed to officiate in the Guinness Six Nations for the second successive year.

The Scottish referee will take charge of France v Italy on the opening weekend and England v Wales in round three of the competition.

In the final two rounds of the competition Adamson’s involvement will continue where he will operate as an Assistant Referee for England v Ireland and France v England.

Adamson made history last year when he refereed England v Italy in the Six Nations, becoming the first Scotsman to officiate a men’s Six Nations fixture in 19 years. During the autumn Adamson also refereed the match between Wales and Australia.

Following the publication of the Six Nations appointment list, Mike Adamson said: “After receiving my first Six Nations appointment last year at Twickenham it is great to be given a couple of matches in this year’s championship.

“The Guinness Six Nations is such a special tournament and one that all referees want to be involved in.

“Last year was incredibly special for me, refereeing my first match in the tournament but it was different to how I’d envisaged it would be with the lack of crowds. I’m expecting a different experience this year with full crowds though. It’ll feel more like my first Six Nations than last year did as I enjoy refereeing in front of a crowd. It is noticeable how much the fans lift the players, and that in turn increases the intensity of the games.”

Adamson has experienced a rapid rise in the world of refereeing following a successful career as a player and he outlined that match preparation and a consistency of approach is key as he continues to receive high-profile appointments.

He said: “I prepare for these games quite similarly to a URC or EPCR match by watching previous matches and focussing specifically on set pieces so I know what to expect. We’ve also got a World Rugby meeting at the end of the month where we’ll discuss key trends that have appeared during the last wee while and that is incredibly useful for my preparation.

“I’ll put together a game plan for the tournament and have meetings with the officials I’ll be working with. The TMO for the first game is from Australia for example so I’ve never worked with him and it’ll be important to establish a good relationship with him and talk about situations we may need to deal with in the game.”

Scottish Rugby’s Performance Director Jim Mallinder said: “Mike is leading the way for Scottish refereeing and his latest appointments are just reward for his hard work and commitment.

“At Scottish Rugby we are committed to improving the level of Scottish referees and increasing the number of match officials operating to the top competitions.

“As part of the ongoing restructure of the high performance department, refereeing is a key part of that and Mike’s journey is inspirational for others to follow in his footsteps.”

Appointments in full

Mike Adamson

06/02 France v Italy (Ref)
26/02 England v Wales (Ref)
12/03 England v Ireland (AR)
19/03 France v England (AR)