Nika Amashukeli
Date of birth (1994-09-18) 18 September 1994
Place of birthTbilisi, Georgia
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker / Centre
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
– Jiki ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
– Georgia U18
Refereeing career
Years Competition Apps
- Didi 10
– All-Ireland League
– Rugby Europe U18
– WR U20 Trophy
– WR U20 Championship
– Rugby Europe
– Continental Shield
– Challenge Cup 10
– Champions Cup 9
– URC 3
– Top 14 2
– U20 Six Nations
– Six Nations 2
– The Rugby Championship 1
– WR 7s Series 2
– Rugby World Cup 3
Correct as of 13 August 2023

Nika Amashukeli (Georgian: ნიკა ამაშუკელი) is a Georgian rugby union and World Rugby elite referee.

Background

In his early youth Nika Amashukeli played soccer.[1] Nika watched his first ever full rugby match on TV during the 2007 Rugby World Cup, when his father "literally forced"[1] him to watch Ireland v Georgia.[2][3][4]

Nika started playing rugby for Jiki at the age of 11. He played as a flanker then inside centre, and as an outside centre for Georgia at U17, U18 and U19 levels.[4] He was selected for Georgia U18 team for 2012 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship. By the age of 20 he had already suffered five concussions. He’d also broken an ankle, and there was a knee problem.[5] Head injuries affected his mental health at that time; eventually he decided to retire from playing.[3]

Refereeing career

In 2013 Georgian Rugby Union started a program aimed at improving the standard of Georgian referees; a new relationship with IRFU has started. This included Irish referees regularly officiating Georgian domestic league matches, Georgian referees officiating All-Ireland League matches and attending IRFU workshops.[6] Nika was among the first young referees recruited through this program in 2013. His first match in Ireland was between Old Christians and St Mary’s in the Munster Junior League.[4]

Amashukeli made his test debut as a referee in the Montenegro v Estonia European Nations Cup Third Division match on 11 April 2015; he refereed the 1st half and was replaced by Shota Tevzadze at half-time.[5]

In 2016 in an incident after a Georgian domestic league match between Batumi and Army Nika Amashukeli was stabbed in the leg with a knife by one of the Army club officials.[7][8][9]

In 2019 he attracted rugby followers' attention when during the U20 Six Nations match he was temporarily substituted after a blood injury.[10] Nika left the field, stitched the cutting and returned in 12 minutes to finish the match.

Highlight of Nika's career was 2019 World Rugby Under 20 Championship in Argentina, where World Rugby was highly impressed with emerging Georgian talent as afterwards he got appointments from Joël Jutge to referee in EPCR competitions.[11] Nika himself admits that Joël Jutge had an invaluable positive influence on his career.[5]

He was named as the best Georgian referee many times since 2013.

After working alongside Wayne Barnes during the Autumn Nations Cup in 2020, Nika rated Wayne Barnes as the number 1 referee in the world at the moment.[12]

In 2020 Nika launched a Facebook page named "Rugby Laboratory" where he posts videos explaining basics of rugby laws to new supporters of the game.[13]

In 2021 Nika had a successful debut in July internationals, having officiated on Wales v Canada match, first ever Georgian to do tier 1 nations game. His second match Romania v Scotland was called off due to COVID-19 restrictions. Nika's pathway continued through as he got top level appointments on November internationals, set to officiate in Ireland v Japan, French Barbarians v Tonga and Wales v Australia matches.

Nika is coached and mentored by David McHugh, who is employed by Georgian Rugby Union as a Head of Referees Committee.[14][11] Nika Amashukeli claims that David McHugh has been the biggest influence on his career and changed the way he thinks.[4] Amashukeli describes McHugh as a great guy, very professional, very friendly, strong and knowledgeable manager who makes a lot of effort to improve Didi 10 referees.[4][11] According to Nika himself, McHugh is not only a coach for him, but also his friend.[1][15]

In February 2023 Nika Amashukeli was included in World Rugby's list of candidates to be a referee at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.[16] On 10 May 2023 he was selected as a referee in the list of match officials for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.[17]

List of Tier 1 tests

Since 2021 Nika Amashukeli regularly gets appointed to test matches involving Tier 1 national teams. The list below includes all of his Tier 1 test appointments in Six Nations, Rugby Championship and international tours.

DateHomePF PAAwayTournament
3 July 2021Wales 68 12 CanadaSummer tours[18]
6 November 2021Ireland 60 5 JapanAutumn tours[19]
27 February 2022Ireland 57 6 ItalySix Nations[20]
2 July 2022South Africa 32 29 WalesSummer tours[21]
27 August 2022New Zealand 18 25 ArgentinaRugby Championship[22]
29 October 2022Japan 31 38 New ZealandAutumn tours[23]
5 November 2022Ireland 19 16 South AfricaAutumn tours[23]
26 February 2023France 32 21 ScotlandSix Nations[24]
5 August 2023 Argentina  13 24  South Africa RWC warm-ups[25]
12 August 2023 England  19 17  Wales RWC warm-ups[25]
19 August 2023 France  34 17  Fiji RWC warm-ups[25]
9 September 2023 Ireland  82 8  Romania Rugby World Cup[26]
17 September 2023 England   Japan Rugby World Cup[26]
1 October 2023 Australia   Portugal Rugby World Cup[26]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Expert Witness: Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli on his love for rugby, the future and Rugby World Cup hopes". 28 April 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  2. ↑ "ნიკა ამაშუკელი | ზღაპარი 'მარიფილდზე' და ქართული დერბი ჩელენჯ ქაფზე" (in Georgian). 26 November 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Introducing Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli". 29 January 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "World Rugby profile". 13 January 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 "Nika Amashukeli is beyond proud over historic Six Nations appointment". 20 January 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  6. ↑ "Ireland helps to raise bar for Georgian refs". irb.com. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  7. ↑ "Fact of rugby referee wounding in Poti confirmed by Rugby Union". 28 March 2016. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  8. ↑ "The Board will Discuss the "Referee Case"". 5 April 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  9. ↑ "'I was stabbed after a match – but that did not stop me refereeing'". 20 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  10. ↑ "Referee blood bin – World first?". 11 March 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  11. 1 2 3 "ნიკა ამაშუკელის სამსაჯო კარიერა". Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  12. ↑ "ნიკა ამაშუკელი: "ბარნსი ამჟამად საუკეთესო მსაჯია და მასთან მუშაობა უდიდესი პასუხისმგებლობაა"" (in Georgian). 25 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  13. ↑ "რაგბის ლაბორატორია როგორ უნდა მოხდეს სარაგბო ცნობიერების ამაღლება ამაშუკელის ახალი პროექტი" (in Georgian). 8 August 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  14. ↑ "Owen Doyle: Mixed bag from Wayne Barnes as he continues race for referee gold". 6 April 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  15. ↑ "Nika Amashukeli: Georgian official gives inside track on life as an international referee and slams 'disgraceful' abuse of Wayne Barnes and his family". 16 December 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  16. ↑ "Дэвид МакХью: «Ника Амашукели прошёл долгий путь, который по силам и другим его коллегам»" (in Russian). 15 February 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  17. ↑ "Everyone's team – World Rugby announces Emirates match official team selected for Rugby World Cup 2023 in France". 10 May 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  18. ↑ "Men's July internationals". World Rugby. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  19. ↑ "October/November internationals (men's)". World Rugby. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  20. ↑ "Guinness Six Nations 2022". World Rugby. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  21. ↑ "June -July 2022 men's internationals". World Rugby. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  22. ↑ "The Rugby Championship 2022". World Rugby. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  23. 1 2 "October/November internationals (Men's)". World Rugby. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  24. ↑ "Guinness Six Nations 2023". World Rugby. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  25. 1 2 3 "Men's internationals and RWC 2023 warm-up matches (July-August)". Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  26. 1 2 3 "Rugby World Cup 2023 pool stage". Retrieved 7 September 2023.
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