Springboks vs All Blacks referee was stabbed after match in horrifying attack

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Georgian official Nika Amashukeli will have the whistle when the two great rivals collide in Cape Town on Saturday, with South Africa looking to respond following their defeat in the opening Test at Ellis Park.

But long before reaching the top of the international game, Amashukeli survived an incident that could easily have ended his refereeing career.

The shocking incident happened in 2016 during a Georgian domestic match involving Armia and Batumi.

A dramatic finish had seen Armia snatch a late draw, with confusion over how much time remained contributing to an increasingly heated atmosphere.

Amashukeli later explained that he had told one of the captains there were four minutes remaining, only for the player to believe he had said two.

The team subsequently kicked the ball out expecting the final whistle, but play continued. Their opponents eventually won a penalty and levelled the match.

What followed was frightening.

Players and supporters became furious, with Amashukeli accused of cheating as tensions escalated following the final whistle.

Speaking about the incident, the Georgian revealed that he was followed after leaving the field as a large scuffle developed.

Someone was carrying a knife.

Amashukeli suddenly felt something in his leg before looking down and seeing blood pouring from the wound.

He had been stabbed.

The attacker was never identified.

The incident understandably left Amashukeli considering whether he wanted to continue refereeing.

Instead, he returned and began an extraordinary rise through the game.

The former Georgia age-grade player went on to become his country's first referee to take charge of a Six Nations match before being selected as a referee for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Now regarded as one of the leading officials in the game, the 31-year-old has become a regular appointment for rugby's biggest international fixtures.

His journey has been made even more remarkable by the fact that refereeing wasn't originally the career he had planned.

Amashukeli played rugby himself as a youngster but a succession of injuries, including multiple concussions, eventually forced him away from playing.

Amashukeli will now be at the centre of one of rugby's most intense rivalries when South Africa and New Zealand meet at DHL Stadium on Saturday.

He will be assisted by England's Karl Dickson and Australia's Angus Gardner, with Eric Gauzins serving as TMO.

It represents another huge assignment for a referee whose journey to the top could have been ended almost a decade ago.

Instead, Amashukeli went from being stabbed after a domestic rugby match to controlling the Springboks and All Blacks on one of the biggest stages in the sport.