Four Canadian Match Officials Appointed to 2026 WXV Matches in September/October
Canadian Match Officials Julianne Zussman (Referee), Emma Gallagher (Referee, Assistant Referee), Kristine Lovatt (Assistant Referee) and Cam Russell (FPRO, TMO) have been appointed to the 2026 WXV Global Series & Global Series Challenger matches taking place this September and October. The WXV series is for the top tier nations, the WXV Challenger is for upcoming nations. Julianne Zussman has been selected to referee two of the WXV matches, and Emma Gallagher one of the WXV Challenger matches. The match schedules involving Canadian officials are listed below, also the World Rugby profile for Julianne Zussman is posted below.
WXV Global Series
| Canada v England BMO Stadium, Toronto Friday, 16 October, 2026 |
Referee: Aurélie Groizeleau (FFR) Assistant Referee 1: Luke Rogan (USA) Assistant Referee 2: Amelia Luciano (USAR) TMO: Derek Summers (USAR) FPRO: Cam Russell (RC) |
| USA v Italy Mansfield Stadium, Mansfield, Dallas, TX Saturday, 17 October, 2026 |
Referee: Holly Wood (RFU) Assistant Referee 1: Emma Gallagher (RC) Assistant Referee 2: Lindsey Oliver (USAR) TMO: Cam Russell (RC) FPRO: Derek Summers (USAR) |
| Canada v England TD Place, Ottawa Friday, 23 October, 2026 |
Referee: Aurélie Groizeleau (FFR) Assistant Referee 1: Luke Rogan (USAR) Assistant Referee 2: Amelia Luciano (USAR) TMO: Derek Summers (USAR) FPRO: Cam Russell (RC) |
| USA v Italy Geodis Park, Nashville, TN Saturday, 24 October, 2026 |
Referee: Zoe Naude (SARU) Assistant Referee 1: Emma Gallagher (RC) Assistant Referee 2: Kristine Lovatt (RC) TMO: Cam Russell (RC) FPRO: Derek Summers (USAR) |
| Japan v Wales Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium, Tokyo Saturday, 24 October, 2026 |
Referee: Julianne Zussman (RC) Assistant Referee 1: Sunny Lee (HKCR) Assistant Referee 2: Hibiki Ikeda (JRFU) TMO: Matt Rodden (HKCR) FPRO: Koki Yamauchi (JRFU) |
| USA v England Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, New Jersey Friday, 30 October, 2026 |
Referee: Zoe Naude (SARU) Assistant Referee 1: Emma Gallagher (RC) Assistant Referee 2: Kristine Lovatt (RC) TMO: Cam Russell (RC) FPRO: Leo Colgan (IRFU) |
| Japan v Wales Kumagaya Sports Culture Park Rugby Field, Kumagaya City Saturday, 31 October, 2026 |
Referee: Julianne Zussman (RC) Assistant Referee 1: Sunny Lee (HKCR) Assistant Referee 2: Hibiki Ikeda (JRFU) TMO: Matt Rodden (HKCR) FPRO: Koki Yamauchi (JRFU) |
WXV Global Series Challenger
| Hong Kong China v Brazil Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground, Hong Kong, China Sunday, 13 September, 2026 |
Referee: Hibiki Ikeda (JRFU) Assistant Referee 1: Emma Gallagher (RC) Assistant Referee 2: Giana Viljoen (SARU) TMO: Julien Castaignede (FFR) |
| Samoa v Spain Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground, Hong Kong, China Saturday, 19 September, 2026 |
Referee: Emma Gallagher (RC) Assistant Referee 1: Amber Stamp-Dunstan (WRU) Assistant Referee 2: Jan Tang (HKCR) TMO: Julien Castaignede (FFR) |
Julianne Zussman World Rugby Profile
Union: Rugby Canada
Date of birth: 23 January, 1987
Test debut: 1 November, 2021 – USA 9-15 Canada
Tests as referee: 10 (at 18 April, 2026)
HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series debut: 5 October, 2019 – USA 27-0 Brazil (Glendale)
World Series tournaments: 9
Julianne Zussman started playing rugby at the age of 14 in Ashbury College in Ottawa, encouraged by her rugby-playing brother, Richard, and her high-school coach, Jen Boyd. Having previously enjoyed soccer and volleyball, Zussman quickly realised rugby was the sport for her, and she progressed to become a world-leading full-back via clubs in Ottawa (Ottawa Irish RFC), Montreal (Town of Mount Royal RFC) and Victoria (Castaway Wanderers RFC), and the Quebec provincial team, and then 44 tests for Canada, scoring 18 tries.
Zussman played in three Rugby World Cups – 2010, 2014 (when Canada were runners-up) and 2017 – and she moved west to Victoria in 2011 as part of a full-time contract with Canada’s sevens programme. This was all combined with her studies, as Zussman took a degree in International Development, History and Economics at McGill University, Montreal, from 2004-08, and a one-year Masters in Sport Administration in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 2011. In that year between RWC 2010 and going into sevens, she lived in Switzerland and played invitational rugby in the UK, for the Nomads and Saracens sevens.
Zussman coached women’s rugby for six years at the University of Victoria, and she has also been a manager for Canada’s national track and field team. Currently she is working in management in the sport department at the University of Victoria, having also taken a diploma in conflict management and analysis.
In 2018, the year Zussman retired from playing, she asked to be a “fly on the wall” with the referees at the Canadian National Championship in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and wound up in charge of an under-20s match. She enjoyed the analysis and teamwork, and seeing rugby from a new perspective, and moved quickly to refereeing at the Glendale round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in October 2019.
Zussman was an assistant referee for England v France and France v USA, in the Women’s Rugby Super Series in July 2019. She made her test debut as a referee with the USA v Canada opening match in the World Rugby Pacific Four Series 2021, adding to a year which had already seen her referee three matches at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and both Fast Four events in Edmonton and Vancouver.
Zussman was an assistant referee for six matches at Rugby World Cup 2021 in New Zealand and was then inducted into the Rugby Canada Hall of Fame in December 2023. She returns to test rugby in the Pacific Four Series in 2026 following maternity leave.
TOURNAMENTS AS A REFEREE:
Women’s Six Nations: 2022
World Rugby Pacific Four Series: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026
WXV 1: 2024
U20 Six Nations: 2022
Rugby World Cup Sevens: 2022
Olympic Games: 2020
HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2020 (Glendale, Dubai, Cape Town)
HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2022 (Dubai, Dubai, Malaga, Seville, Langford, Toulouse)
DID YOU KNOW…?
Why did you become a referee?
I was really attracted to the challenge. Having spent so much time around rugby and playing rugby, I was surprised by how hard it was. You’re never going to have the perfect game, but you’re always going to chase it.
What is the best thing about being a referee?
Getting to enjoy being on the field, even if I’m not playing anymore. It’s my happy place.
Who has been the biggest influence on your career?
Nathan Abdelnour, who was in charge of referee development across Canada, opened the door to my refereeing journey. And Chris Pollock, I managed to connect with him through some of the coaching he does. He helped me understand what is required of a professional referee, even though I am not full-time: some of the things I can do away from a Saturday to make myself as good as possible on the day.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given and why did it resonate with you?
There has been so much good advice. Not to hide your personality as a referee. To be yourself, to bring whatever unique aspects you bring, because that will be what makes it an enjoyable game.
Favourite memory as a referee?
I will never forget refereeing a test match at 16 weeks pregnant. It’s not always easy to navigate elite sport alongside the realities of being a woman. I want my daughter to see that you don’t have to choose between them — and now she’s lived that experience!
What’s your favourite law in rugby and why?
I think the advantage law is my favourite. It is unique to rugby and it allows the game to flow, it allows the action to continue, it prevents it being stop-start. It allows a story to develop in the game.