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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Tom Coleman

Ireland v England referee Jaco Peyper landed himself in trouble after posing with Wales fans

It all comes down to this for Ireland. The world's number one side are just one game away from claiming a Six Nations Grand Slam on Saturday.

Standing in their way are old foes England, who will be keen to end what has otherwise been a disappointing campaign on a high, and spoil the Irish party in the process.

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Jaco Peyper is the man in the middle for his clash, and isn't exactly a stranger to controversy. Here's everything you need to know:

Who is Jaco Peyper?

Jaco Peyper was born in Bloemfontein in 1980, and made his officiating debut in 2008 while still in his twenties. His arrival on the international scene came during Scotland's tour of Oceania in 2012, where he oversaw the tourists' 9-6 win over Australia, as well as their 25-7 win over Fiji and their 17-16 victory over Tonga.

He has since officiated in both the 2015 and the 2019 Rugby World Cups. Outside of rugby, he is a trained lawyer.

Why did he upset France fans?

Peyper caused controversy following the 2019 World Cup quarter-final between France and Wales, when he sent off France lock Sebastien Vahaamahina for a brutal elbow on Aaron Wainwright.

It wasn't so much the decision that irked French fans, though. After the match he was pictured laughing with Wales fans while also seemingly performing an elbow gesture.

It was enough to open a World Rugby investigation, with officials later branding the gesture as "inappropriate". He then missed out on selection for the rest of the tournament.

Who are the other officials?

Assistant referees: Ben O’Keeffe (NZR) and Pierre Brousset (FFR)

TMO: Marius Jonker (SARU)

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