Ireland vs Wales referee confused ITV viewers with incorrect score

Friday, 06 March 2026 at 18:35

byRugby Rucker

Ireland and Wales meet in Dublin tonight in a huge Six Nations clash — but many fans will also be watching the man in the middle.

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The Ireland vs Wales referee is English official Karl Dickson, who previously confused millions of TV viewers with a controversial call during a major international match.

Dickson will oversee proceedings at the Aviva Stadium, and he’ll be hoping for a far smoother evening than one particular moment during the 2023 Rugby World Cup that forced broadcasters to issue a clarification after the final whistle.

From Premiership scrum-half to international referee

Before becoming a top-level referee, Dickson enjoyed a long professional career as a scrum-half.

He made more than 100 appearances for Bedford Blues before moving to Harlequins, where he went on to play 169 matches.

During his time at Quins, the club’s director of rugby described him as “among the best five scrum-halves in the country.”

Those performances earned him a call-up to the England national rugby union team squad during the 2012 Six Nations Championship, as well as selection for England’s summer tour to South Africa.

Despite the call-ups, Dickson never won a full England cap — although he did appear off the bench against the South Africa Northern Barbarians on that tour.

Interestingly, that appearance saw him replace his younger brother Lee Dickson, who went on to earn 18 England caps and make more than 250 appearances for Northampton Saints.

Rapid rise as a referee

After retiring from playing in 2017, Dickson joined the Rugby Football Union match officials programme.

He had actually begun refereeing qualifications three years earlier, starting with school fixtures before climbing quickly through the officiating ranks.

Just 12 months after retiring, he made his international refereeing debut in a match between Georgia national rugby union team and Samoa national rugby union team.

His first Tier One appointment followed in 2020 when he officiated a friendly between France national rugby union team and Wales national rugby union team.

By 2023, Dickson had been selected as part of the officiating team for the Rugby World Cup, even acting as an assistant referee to Wayne Barnes during the tournament’s final.

The World Cup moment that confused viewers

However, one moment earlier in that same tournament caused significant confusion.

Dickson served as assistant referee in the opening match between France and New Zealand national rugby union team.

Late in the game, Melvyn Jaminet scored a try to put France 27-13 ahead and stepped up to take the conversion.

The kick sailed high above the posts, but it wasn’t immediately clear if it had gone between them.

Dickson raised his flag to signal a successful conversion, while the opposite touch judge kept theirs down — leaving viewers unsure whether the kick had counted.

After the broadcast returned to the studio, ITV confirmed the final score after consulting officials.

Presenter Mark Pougatch told viewers:

“For the accuracy of your World Cup wall chart, actually the final score was 27-13. There was a debate about whether the final conversion went over. One touch judge put his flag up, one didn’t.”

He added that it had since been confirmed the conversion had missed, meaning France’s winning margin remained unchanged.

Six Nations Round Four Appointments:

Ireland v Wales

Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Date: Friday, 6 March 2026

Referee: Karl Dickson (RFU)
Assistant Referee 1: Nika Amashukeli (GRU)
Assistant Referee 2: Damian Schneider (UAR)
TMO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)
FPRO: Tual Trainini (FFR)

Scotland v France

Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Date: Saturday, 7 March 2026

Referee: Angus Gardner (RA)
Assistant Referee 1: Andrew Brace (IRFU)
Assistant Referee 2: Craig Evans (WRU)
TMO: Brett Cronan (RA)
FPRO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)

Italy v England

Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Date: Saturday, 7 March 2026

Referee: Luc Ramos (FFR)
Assistant Referee 1: Pierre Brousset (FFR)
Assistant Referee 2: Sam Grove-White (SRU)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)
FPRO: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)

Karl Dickson bio

Name: Karl Dickson
Date of birth: September 2, 1982
Nationality: English
Playing position: Scrum-half

Playing career:

Bedford Blues
Harlequins

International involvement (player):

Selected for the England national rugby union team squad in the 2012 Six Nations Championship
Member of England’s 2012 tour to South Africa

Refereeing career:

Joined the Rugby Football Union referee pathway after retiring in 2017
International refereeing debut: Georgia national rugby union team vs Samoa national rugby union team (2018)
Official at the 2023 Rugby World Cup
Assistant referee in the 2023 Rugby World Cup final alongside Wayne Barnes