Raynal last captained England in this year's Six Nations. Photo: Getty Images/Bob Bradford
Mathieu Raynal will lead the World Cup opener against Argentina on Saturday.
Here's everything you need to know about the Frenchman, who will be joined by Ben O'Keefe (New Zealand), Pierre Brousse (France). and TMO Marius Jonker (South Africa) on the refereeing panel.
Who is he?
Born in Perpignan, in the heart of French rugby, Raynal has been refereeing professionally since 2006 and is ranked among the top 14 top-level referees in France. , since 2007. The 39-year-old played for the professional club of his hometown, US, Perpignan, in the late 1990s, winning the French youth championship.
In 2013, he suffered a horrific leg fracture in a Top 14 match between Racing 92 and Montpellier, resulting in a double fracture of the tibia and fibula. He was out of the game for a year and returned in a Top 14 match in February 2014 before returning to international rugby in 2014.
What is his record?
Raynal, an official who advocates tough break-in competition, has umpired international Test matches since 2009, when he took charge of Malta's match with the Netherlands. However, his first experience of high-profile international refereeing came in 2011, when he was assigned to four matches at the 2011 IRB Youth World Championships in Italy.
A year later, he was assigned to his first match. A first-tier player as he was the man whistling for Scotland's autumn clash with Tonga in Aberdeen. The appointment comes a week after he served as additional judge in England's narrow defeat to Australia at Twickenham.
Mathieu Raynal has become a well-known face officiating first-tier matches around the world. Photo: Shutterstock/Joel Carrett
This will be Raynal's second World Cup as the Frenchman will be appointed to the 2019 Rugby World Cup refereeing panel in Japan. .
Why is he so famous?
Reynal is one of the world's most senior referees, and if France does not reach the final of this year's tournament, the Frenchman will be one of the few referees in pole position. referee the final match of the tournament.
The official made headlines in 2022 after making an incredibly bold and controversial call at the end of the first match of the year between Australia and New Zealand in Melbourne.
Under the Wallabies, Raynal handed New Zealand the final match. A two-minute scrum on Australia's five-metre line after Bernard Foley's kick was stopped and the Frenchman judged it a waste of time.
Jordie Barrett scored the winning try from a set-piece but Raynal stood by his decision. The official was adamant he made the right choice, claiming Foley «forced» him into the decision and added he had «no choice» but to punish the Wallabies halfback.
What is his history with England ?
The two didn't cross paths too often. Most recently, at the 2023 Six Nations, Raynal took charge of England's victory over Wales in Cardiff, one of Steve Borthwick's side's two championship wins.
In 2021, Raynal was the man with the whistle. for England's Six Nations final against Ireland in Dublin, which ended in disaster for the visitors. A 32-18 defeat behind closed doors at the Aviva Stadium left England in fifth place.
A handful of English players will have experience of Raynal from the Champions Cup, as will Jack Willis. , a top-14 tie with Toulouse, as well as the Lions' tour to South Africa in 2021, where the Frenchman was left to pick up the pieces in the second Test after controversy surrounding Rassie Erasmus and Nick Berry in the first.
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