Referee Nika Amashukeli has had an eventful career. (Image: Getty Images) This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Round two of the Six Nations has arrived, with one of the tournament’s most eagerly awaited fixtures taking place, the Calcutta Cup clash between Scotland and England. The two historic rivals meet at Murrayfield in the latest chapter of their intense rivalry.
Scotland and England experienced contrasting fortunes on the opening weekend, with the former suffering defeat to Italy in a waterlogged Rome, whilst Steve Borthwick’s side demolished Wales on home soil at Twickenham. Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli will oversee proceedings in Edinburgh and he has quite a remarkable backstory. Here’s everything you need to know.
Born in Tbilisi in 1994, Amashukeli grew up as a football fan but took up rugby aged 11 and, in his own words, was “literally forced” by his father to watch his first-ever match, a World Cup tie between Ireland and Georgia.
After becoming “hooked” on the sport, he played for Georgia at youth level and was named in the squad for the 2012 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship. He retired from playing aged just 20, having already suffered five concussions, a fractured ankle and developed a knee injury. But his love for the game remained and he chose to pursue a career in refereeing.
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Amashukeli made his Test debut as a referee in 2015 when he took charge of the first half of Montenegro vs Estonia in a European Nations Cup Third Division fixture. He later refereed at the 2019 World U20 Championship in Argentina and worked alongside his idol Wayne Barnes during the 2020 Autumn Nations Cup.
He made history as the first Georgian to take charge of a tier one fixture when he oversaw Wales versus Canada in July 2021, going on to officiate Ireland versus Japan, Barbarians versus Tonga and Wales versus Australia during the autumn internationals.
His Six Nations debut came in 2022 as Ireland demolished Italy in Dublin, with the appointment moving him to tears. Whilst he also featured during this year’s tournament, he was particularly awestruck when he refereed the marquee encounter between the Springboks and Ireland towards the end of last year.
“I remember when I was appointed to my first Six Nations match, I cried, tears were rolling down my face,” he revealed in an interview with Rugby Europe.
“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 players hand, out of respect for their dedication and intensity.”
Referee Nika Amashukeli giving a yellow card. (Image: Getty Images)
Amashukeli achieved his dream of officiating at a World Cup in 2023, although he admitted that he initially felt disappointed upon receiving the telephone call with the news. Whilst he felt assured he would participate in the tournament in some form, he endured several days of doubt before receiving confirmation.
When his phone finally rang, however, he was playfully misled by World Rugby’s Head of Match Officials, Joel Jutge, who jokingly suggested that a decision on his selection had still not been made.
“If I’m honest, I knew I would get the call-up,” Amashukeli said. “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.”
Despite the joke from Jutge, he soon received the marvellous news that he would be overseeing matches at the competition 16 years after first developing his passion for the sport.
The Georgian official’s career almost came to a devastating end when a match he was refereeing in 2016 descended into violence following the final whistle, resulting in him being stabbed in the leg.
The Didi 10 fixture, Georgia’s top flight, had seen Armia snatch a dramatic late equaliser against Batumi, with a miscommunication between Amashukeli and the Batumi captain proving decisive as victory escaped their clutches.
“There was no official timekeeping – referees controlled the time,” Amashukeli told The Telegraph. “I said to one of the team captains that four minutes were remaining but he misheard me and thought I’d said two minutes. They kicked the ball out after two minutes but I didn’t end the game – as there were two minutes left. Then the other team caught the line-out, won a penalty, and kicked it to draw the match.
“The home team exploded and accused me of cheating. When the supporters saw their players getting emotional and throwing their hands up in the air, they became very emotional and started swearing.
“After I left the pitch, there was a lot of abuse and swearing and the supporters followed. There was a big scuffle but the adrenaline was rushing through me. Someone had a knife. Suddenly, I felt something in my leg. I looked down, blood was pouring out. I had been stabbed.”
The perpetrator was never caught. Amashukeli admitted he initially considered quitting the sport following the assault, but he made a full recovery and has since advanced significantly as a match official.
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