Kerry Victor Joseph Fitzgerald (c. 1948 – 18 December 1991) was an Australian rugby union referee best known for officiating in the 1987 Rugby World Cup Final, the first ever Rugby World Cup final.
| Birth name | Kerry Victor Joseph | |||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 1948 | |||||||||||||
| Date of death | 18 December 1991 (aged 43) | |||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | ||||||||||||||
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Refereeing career
editFitzgerald took up refereeing in 1977. In 1984 he made his international debut in the unofficial test between the All Blacks and Fiji in Suva.[1]
For the first Rugby World Cup in 1987 he was one of two Australian referees selected, the other being Bob Fordham. Fitzgerald refereed pool matches between the England and the United States and Ireland verses Wales. In the semi-final between New Zealand and Wales, The Welsh player Huw Richards was elbowed in the head by Gary Whetton, who he then punched before being knocked out by Buck Shelford. After Richards regained consciousness, Fitzgerald issued him the first red card of the tournament.[2] Fitzgerald, went on to referee the World Cup Final.[1]
In his career Fitzgerald refereed 26 tests, including the semi-final between England and Scotland in the 1991 Rugby World Cup, just 6 weeks before his death.[3]
Death
editFitzgerald collapsed and died in his office on 18 December 1991.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b "Joubert joins exclusive club". SA Rugby Referees. 20 October 2011. Archived from the original on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
- ^ "HUW RICHARDS Wales". www.ESPNscrum.com. ESPN. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Fitzgerald dies". New Straits Times. 19 December 1991. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
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