Who is Italy vs France referee Matthew Carley? English official with Six Nations history with Dragons
ITALY face a tough opening Six Nations fixture as they take on champions France in round one.
Les Bleus will be determined to get their title defence off to a great start against the Italians.
Presiding over the huge contest at the Principality Stadium will be an Englishman - Matthew Carley.
Who is Matthew Carley?
Matthew Carley was born in Dover in 1984.
He was the first person ever to be offered an RFU refereeing scholarship at the University of Gloucestershire back in 2004.
In 2010, he debuted in the World Sevens before being promoted to become a Premiership referee in 2013.
He is highly experienced in international rugby, qualifying as an international official in 2015.
Two years later, he took charge of his first Tier 1 match - Scotland vs New Zealand.
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Has Matthew Carley refereed Wales before?
Matthew Carley has refereed Wales on numerous occasions and was actually in charge last time the French visited the Principality Stadium in 2020.
On that day, France ran out narrow 27-23 winners but Wayne Pivac was left fuming at some of the decisions.
The New Zealander claimed Wales should have been given a penalty try when Paul Willemse slapped down a Ken Owens pass with Josh Adams free on the outside.
More recently, Carley refereed Wales' trip to Scotland in 2021, and this time his biggest call went in favour of the Welsh as Zander Fagerson was sent off for leading with his shoulder against Wyn Jones.