Paul Honiss

Paul Gerard Honiss (born 18 June 1963) is a retired rugby union referee from Hamilton, New Zealand.

Paul Honiss
Birth namePaul Gerard Honiss
Date of birth (1963-06-18) 18 June 1963
SchoolSt John's College
Rugby union career
Refereeing career
Years Competition Apps
1999–2007
1997–2008
Rugby World Cup
Test Matches

46

Honiss held the record of the most test matches refereed (46) when he retired as an international rugby union referee in July 2008.[1] That record has since been surpassed by Jonathan Kaplan.[2] He first started refereeing in 1984, making his international referee debut in a 1997 Rugby World Cup qualifier between Tahiti and the Cook Islands.

Honiss was subsequently selected to officiate at the 1999 Rugby World Cup in Wales, and the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia. He was also selected as a referee for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France.

During the 2007 World Cup Honiss equaled Welshman Derek Bevan's record for most Tests as a referee when he took charge of his 44th Test, a Pool D match between Argentina and Ireland on 30 September. He surpassed Bevan when he presided over the third-place match between Argentina and France on 19 October.[3]

His final match in charge was between Australia and France, at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia, with the home team winning 40–10.[4]

Trivia

A hockey and tennis court in Saint John's College of Hamilton, New Zealand is named after his father Paul Honiss, an old boy of the school's predecessor Marist Brothers High School.

Notes and references

  1. "NZRU farewells Paul Honiss" (Press release). New Zealand Rugby Union. 11 July 2008. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
  2. "Kaplan becomes most capped referee" (Press release). Archived from the original on 2 October 2011.
  3. Rugby News Service (19 October 2007). "Referee Honiss set to break world record". Rugby World Cup. Archived from the original on 26 October 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
  4. "Match details" (Press release). Australian rugby. 5 July 2008.


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