The officiating team for England rugby league v Samoa has been confirmed, with Chris Kendall taking centre-stage.
This comes after Liam Moore officiated the first Test but the RFL say Kendall taking the second one isn’t due to Moore’s performance with officials confirmed for the games weeks ago, per Serious About RL’s sister site Yorkshire Evening Post.
Someone who isn’t new to the big occasion, Moore took the Grand Final as a referee in 2023, when the Warriors defeated Catalans Dragons, and also officiated the controversial World Club Challenge game that saw Wigan defeat Penrith Panthers earlier this year.
Tempers boiled over in the first test, and Samoa head coach Ben Gardiner said: “You respect each other off the field and on the field you are going at it. That’s how games should be played.
“If there’s a scuffle or whatever it is, it’s left out on the field and we move on and start fresh again next week. When that happens there’s level of frustration in games from players. That just happens in footy. It’s not a big thing.”
It may, however, be a tough one for Kendall to keep a lid on.
Chris Kendall for England rugby league v Samoa confirmed
Kendall’s appointment is sure to be a big talking point, but he is, alongside Liam Moore, one of the top referees in the country.
He has been the go-to for a number of big recent games, including the last two Challenge Cup finals and the Grand Final.
He’ll be assisted by Ben Thaler as the video ref on Saturday at Headingley.
Some have suggested that it’s wrong for an English referee to take a Test involving England, and England were given six penalties – while Samoa were awarded just one last time out.
However, Gardiner didn’t have a problem with Moore’s refereeing, saying: “I just think he refereed the game by the rules.”