Nika Amashukeli will take charge of England’s Six Nations showdown with France on Saturday (Image: GETTY)
and France will go head-to-head in the at Twickenham on Saturday, with Nika Amashukeli selected to referee the encounter. And the Georgian official previously explained how he broke down in tears after being asked to referee at the Six Nations for the first time in 2022.
Amashukeli made his Six Nations debut when he took charge of Ireland’s clash with Italy in Dublin three years ago.
The match ended in a 57-6 victory for the hosts, with Ireland going on to finish second to France that year.
Amashukeli was born in Tbilisi in 1994 and grew up as a football fan. But he got the rugby bug after watching a World Cup clash between Georgia and Ireland in 2007.
The 30-year-old represented his country as a player at age-grade level and featured at the European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship in 2012, but hung up his boots at the age of 20 before following the pathway into refereeing.
And he became the first Georgian to officiate a top-tier match in 2021 when he oversaw a showdown between Wales and Canada before getting the call-up to officiate in the Six Nations.
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England were defeated by Ireland in their opening Six Nations match on Saturday (Image: GETTY)
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Discussing his Six Nations debut during an interview with Rugby Europe, Amashukeli explained: “I remember when I was appointed to my first Six Nations match, I cried – tears were rolling down my face.
“Then I officiated South Africa v Ireland later that year and the physicality of that game was unbelievable.
“I could hear ribs cracking at every breakdown and collision, and after the match I just wanted to go round and shake every player’s hand out of respect for their dedication and intensity.”
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Amashukeli went on to referee at the 2023 World Cup. And discussing his selection with the same outlet, he explained: “If I’m honest, I knew I would get the call-up. It was just a case of whether It would be as an assistant referee or one of the top 12 main officials.
“I knew when the management were gathering to make the selections and I knew the phone calls would come soon after but I was waiting for days and heard nothing.
“People from home were texting me asking if I was in and I had to tell them that I had no idea. I was just sat nervously holding my phone for three days straight.”
England head into their second Six Nations match of the year searching for their first victory. Steve Borthwick’s side suffered a narrow on Saturday after blowing a half time lead. France, meanwhile, have stormed to the top of the table after thrashing Wales 43-0 on Friday night.