Referee Andrea Piardi was forced to leave the pitch during the Six Nations clash between England and Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday after suffering a muscle injury. The Italian official, who was just under half an hour into the match, signalled to the bench that a substitution was needed before sitting on the turf and being helped to his feet by his assistants.
Before limping off, Piardi called over both captains, Maro Itoje and Caelan Doris, and told them: "It's hard for me to say, but I am out [of the rest of the game]." He was replaced to applause by French referee Pierre Brousset, who had taken charge of England's win over Wales two weeks earlier at the same ground.
Piardi, a mechanical engineering graduate, made history in 2024 when he became the first Italian to officiate a Six Nations match. Last summer, he also refereed the second Test between Australia and the British and Irish Lions.
