Adamson appointed for upcoming Guinness Six Nations

Former Scotland 7s international Adamson has been appointed to officiate the round two fixture between 2020 Guinness Six Nations champions England and Italy, and will be joined by fellow Scottish Rugby Referee Ben Blain, who has been appointed as an Assistant Referee.

Adamson had originally been set to referee at Twickenham in October of this year for the England v Barbarians fixture, which was later cancelled after breaches of Covid-19 protocols. This appointment would have marked Adamson’s first international match involving a Tier 1 nation.

On his selection, Adamson said: “Being appointed to the Six Nations tournament is a great feeling. It’s something I have been working towards for a while now. I’ve had a few set-backs in the last couple of years, so I’m looking forward to the opportunity to go out there and show what I can do in such a big competition.”

“Obviously, this will be a great personal achievement but it’s not just about me; there have been a lot of people working hard in the background leading up to this point, and I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me.”

One individual in particular supporting Adamson in his advancement is Andrew Macpherson, Referee Development Manager at Scottish Rugby. Macpherson has also reached a significant milestone as a newly appointed member to the European Rugby Champions Cup selection group, a competition which Adamson has some familiarity with already, having recently (Saturday 19 December) officiated Connacht Rugby v Bristol Bears.

Adamson certainly doesn’t underestimate the challenges that lie ahead, adding: “Getting the appointment to a tournament like this feels similar to being a player selected for the team. It’s a great feeling, but then you need to put in a good performance. It’s the same in refereeing, I need to do a good job.”

“Because of the pandemic I’ve had a number of fixtures cancelled, so any chance I’ve had to get involved has been a privilege and I’m doing everything I can to get ready to take to the pitch for the tournament in 2021.”

Along with refereeing in round two, Adamson has also been appointed to three further competition fixtures as an Assistant Referee.

Competition organisers also announced Sam Grove-White as the appointed referee to two fixtures for the U20s 6 Nations Tournament with Neil Paterson acting as TMO for both matches.

Appointments in full:

Mike Adamson

06/02 Italy v France (AR)

13/02 England v Italy (Ref)

27/02 Italy v Ireland (AR)

13/03 England v France (AR)

Ben Blain

13/02 England v Italy (AR)

Sam Grove-White

27/02 U20s – Italy v Ireland (Ref)

13/03 U20s – England v France (Ref)

Neil Paterson

27/02 U20s – Italy v Ireland (TMO)

13/03 U20s – England v France (TMO)