Kerry Fitzgerald
Birth nameKerry Victor Joseph
Date of birth1948
Date of death18 December 1991(1991-12-18) (aged 43)
Rugby union career
Refereeing career
Years Competition Apps
1987
1984		 Rugby World Cup
Test Matches		 26

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.

Refereeing career

Fitzgerald took up refereeing in 1977, making his international debut in 1984 in a match between New Zealand and Fiji in Suva.[1]

For the first Rugby World Cup in 1987 he was one of two Australian referees selected. During the semi-finals Huw Richards was elbowed in the head by Gary Whetton, who he then punched before being knocked out by Buck Shelford, after he regained consciousness, Fitzgerald issued Richards the first red card of the tournament.[2] Fitzgerald, went on to referee the World Cup Final.[1]

He went on to referee 26 tests, including the England-Scotland Rugby World Cup Semi-final in 1991, just 6 weeks before his death.[3]

Death

Fitzgerald collapsed and died in his office on 18 December 1991.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b "Joubert joins exclusive club". SA Rugby Referees. 20 October 2011. Archived from the original on 27 October 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  2. ^ "HUW RICHARDS Wales". www.ESPNscrum.com. ESPN. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Fitzgerald dies". New Straits Times. 19 December 1991. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
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