Two of Wales’s most promising referees Ben Connor and Amber Stamp-Dunstan performed with distinction last weekend in high profile international events.
Stamp-Dunstan took charge of her very first international as she oversaw visitors Spain defeat hosts Portugal in a relatively tight affair in Lisbon in a Rugby Europe contest while Connor shone in the prestigious Hong Kong Sevens to be awarded his second final on Sunday.
“Amber has made great strides this season, establishing herself as one of our best referees with some outstanding performances in the Premiership,” said WRU national elite performance referee manager, Ian Davies.
“We now hope that through some solid performances as an assistant referee in the forthcoming Six Nations matches, she can force her way into being Wales’ first ever female referee at a Rugby World Cup.
“Amber was supported in Portugal by Andrew Moule and Jess Kavanagh who continues on her development in transitioning from playing to refereeing.
“Further afield in Hong Kong I was over the moon to see Ben Connor awarded yet another final on the World Sevens Series.
“Having previously refereed the final of the Cape Town leg in December, Ben overcame a rolled ankle earlier in the week to be the stand out referee in this tournament.
“Ben and Amber are both prime examples of young referees making their mark on the world stage.
“With an Elite Academy now established we hope to have a conveyor belt of referees coming through the ranks to put pressure on our established referees and raise standards across the board.”