Steve Walsh (rugby referee)
Walsh during 2011 Rugby World Cup
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Personal information
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| Born | 28 March 1972 | ||||||||||||||
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Rugby union
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| Position | Referee | ||||||||||||||
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Refereeing information
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Steve Walsh (born 28 March 1972) is a retired professional rugby union referee from New Zealand. He officiated at international level from 1998 to 2014, and at three Rugby World Cups, including refereeing the semi-final between South Africa and Argentina in 2007. Walsh became the most experienced Super Rugby referee in 2014, passing Jonathan Kaplan's record before retiring from the game in 2015.
Steve Reid Walsh was born in Cambridge, New Zealand and attended Glenfield College and the Kristin School in Auckland. He played junior provincial representative rugby until a spinal injury and subsequent medical check ended his playing career at the age of 13. Scans revealed just two-and-a-half vertebrae in his neck, a birth defect which meant his neck was unstable and ruled him out of playing contact sport.
Walsh began refereeing at age 16 and went on to become the youngest official to make his NPC debut, in the third division, just four years later. He worked as a customs agent and as a salesman before taking up professional refereeing on a full-time basis in 1998.
At the age of 23, Walsh made his Test refereeing debut on 13 June 1998, when France beat Argentina 35-18 in Buenos Aires. He was the youngest Test referee at the top level at that time. He made his Rugby World Cup debut as a touch judge in 1999.
He took control of Tri Nations opener between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town on 12 July 2003.
Walsh refereed at the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He was involved in a verbal altercation with the England fitness coach Dave Reddin in the match against Samoa. Reddin was cleared of misconduct for his part in the incident but was banned from touchline duties for two games for sending winger Dan Luger onto the field against the match official's orders. Walsh was suspended for three days, missing one match, before going on to referee the quarter-final between Australia and Scotland.
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