Rugby World Cup 2023: who is the referee, TMO and assistants for Wales vs Portugal in Nice?

Wales will be looking to make it back-to-back wins at the Rugby World Cup this weekend.

Warren Gatland's men withstood a titanic clash with Fiji to claim a dramatic 32-26 win in the final game of the first round on Sunday (10 September) night. The bonus point win puts them in a strong position to advance to the knock-out stages - although they still have to face Australia and Georgia.

But next up, the Welsh side will take on Portgual - in a game they will be expecting to run out comfortable winners and will have an eye on securing another bonus point. It is the first time the European side have qualified for the world cup since 2007 - and only second appearance in total.

Portugal sat out the first weekend of the tournament due to each pool having five teams - resulting in one rest week for each team during the group stage. It will be a tough first ask for the Portuguese side, who will be hoping to finally win a world cup game after losing all four previous matches.

But who will be the match officials for Wales vs Portugal at Stade de Nice, Nice on Saturday,16 September, afternoon. Here's all you need to know:

Who is the referee for Wales vs Portugal?

English referee Karl Dickson will be on refereeing duty for the game in Nice on Saturday. It will be his debut at the Rugby World Cup - having served as an assistant during the opening match of the tournament (France vs New Zealand on 8 September).

The 41-year-old is a former professional rugby player - who made 169 appearances for Harlequins between 2009 and 2017 - who played scrum-half during his career. After retiring he made the switch to refereeing, having started doing his qualifications in 2014.

The 2023 Rugby World Cup will be Dickson's debut.

Who are the assistants and the TMO?

He will be joined by his countryman Luke Pearce - who is on refeering duty on Friday night for New Zealand's clash with Namibia - and Italian official Andrea Piardi.

The match officials team will be completed by South African referee Marius Jonker who will serve as TMO for the game. He was on duty for England's victory over Argentina - in which flanker Tom Curry was sent off after his 3rd minute yellow card was upgraded by the bunker.

How to watch Wales vs Portugal?

ITV (and STV in Scotland) will be showing the game on Saturday afternoon. It is due to kick-off at 4.45pm and will be shown live by the broadcaster. It will also be streamed live on ITVX - by a TV licence is still required.