Match Official Conference Gets New Season Underway
8 Sep 2026Scottish Rugby's National Panel of Match Officials has got the 2026/27 season underway, with members officiating fixtures across the country over the opening weekends.
The National Panel provides a focused environment for officials operating at the highest level of the domestic game, supporting them to maintain high standards of officiating while developing and progressing towards higher-level appointments.
Match officials were allocated to 121 fixtures across the opening weekend. The National Panel and newly formed Academy took 22 allocations ranging from Men’s Premiership to Under 16 Boys Open Competition.
Following an extensive review and consultation process, Scottish Rugby made changes to the way the National Panel and wider Match Official pathway operate. This review process identified opportunities to improve the experience of Match Officials, particularly around transparency, development and progression.
The updated approach has been designed to ensure officials in Scotland have access to support that reflects their level of performance and progression.
The 2026/27 National Panel comprises 20 Match Officials, with a further six officials forming the new Match Official Academy.
2026/27 National Panel
Scott Cubitt (Midlands)
Cameron Derrett-Moore (Aberdeen)
Simeon Dewi (Edinburgh)
Dan Evans (Edinburgh)
Lee Fish (West)
Jake Garrod (Edinburgh)
Chelsea Gillespie (Borders)
Fergus Hollins (Edinburgh)
Calum Lazenby (West)
Shane Mansfield (Edinburgh)
Jamie Mather (Edinburgh)
Gregor McIntosh (West)
Sam O’Neill (Borders)
John Smith (Edinburgh)
Ciaran Stark (West)
Michael Todd (Edinburgh)
Steven Turnbull (Borders)
Calum Wehmeyer (Highland)
Calum Worsley (Edinburgh)
David Young (West)
Match Official Academy
Rosie Evans (Edinburgh)
Angus Healy (West)
Euan Maguire (Mids)
Kyle McAlinden (West)
Murray Oliver (Mids)
Mary Pringle (Edinburgh)
The Match Official Academy provides an additional pathway for officials identified as having high-performance potential. It is designed to accelerate their development and support their progression towards the National Panel and higher levels of officiating.
These changes form part of wider work to improve consistency and transparency across the Match Official pathway.
A new Match Official Blueprint is being introduced to provide a shared framework for developing and reviewing officials, helping to create a consistent understanding of the standards expected of Match Officials.
A new appointments framework will also strengthen transparency around how match officials are appointed. Officials will be appointed to matches appropriate to their development and performance level, while closer collaboration with referee societies will support effective coverage of competitive fixtures across the season.
The National Panel and Academy also sit within a wider recruitment and development pathway. More than 50 people have recently progressed from the Introduction to Match Officiating course into referee society membership nationally, supporting the continued growth and development of the refereeing community.
Ensuring competitive rugby can be officiated at a high level remains a key priority, with significant work taking place each week between Scottish Rugby and referee societies to allocate Match Officials across fixtures throughout this season.
