Who is Italy v Wales referee Damon Murphy, the Aussie…

Who is Italy v Wales referee Damon Murphy, the Aussie try-scoring ace whose meteoric rise has been hit by controversy

Wales head to Rome this weekend in desperate need of a win as they bid to ease the dark clouds that have built up around Welsh rugby over the last few weeks.

Defeat, and Warren Gatland's men will be facing up to the real possibility of a first Six Nations Wooden Spoon since 2003.

Wales won't need reminding of what happened the last time these two sides met, with a last-minute penalty sealing a dramatic 22-21 win for the Azzurri, ending a 36-game losing streak in the competition.

A similar outcome in the Italian capital is simply unthinkable for Gatland and his side.

Overseeing events this time around will be Australian official Damon Murphy, whose first Six Nations game was, coincidentally, at the Stadio Olimpico, where he officiated Italy's clash with England last year.

Here's what we can expect from the man in the middle.

Who is Damon Murphy?

Murphy was born in Brisbane, Australia in 1984, and began his rugby journey as a player at local club Brothers Old Boys, where he's believed to be their record try scorer.

An accomplished player, it was in Sevens where he really made a name for himself.

In 2004, he was called up for Australia's Sevens side, and would eventually go on to take the captain's armband during a successful six-year spell, which included an appearance at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

After calling time on his playing career, his rise as a referee has been meteoric.

He made his officiating debut in 2016 in Queensland Premier Rugby and the Australian Rugby Championship, and was invited onto the World Rugby Sevens Series referees panel in the same year.

In 2018, he took charge of his first international, overseeing a match between Hong Kong and the Cook Islands, before officiating his first Tier 1 Test international in July 2021 - a match between New Zealand and Fiji.

His Six Nations debut came last year, where he oversaw Italy's clash with England.

What happened during Italy v England?

Murphy found himself under fire last time he took charge of a Six Nations clash.

England triumphed 33-0 on the day, but Murphy was criticised for what many considered a poor decision regarding a head injury assessment (HIA) of England's Jack Nowell.

Many felt Murphy hadn't allowed sufficient time for the independent medics to review the footage before continuing play, despite Nowell's heavy collision while attempting to tackle Italian centre Marco Zanon.

Murphy's decision to allow Nowell to continue playing before independent doctors had finished their video review was criticised by campaigners.

Progressive Rugby, who have been vocal in their concerns around the treatment of head injuries in the game, tweeted at the time: “Oh my goodness. Please tell me the ref has not just rushed a team into making a decision around a HIA.”

Nowell did eventually leave the field for good a few minutes later and subsequently failed his HIA.