Paul Honiss may never have become a referee had it not been for a bad concussion he suffered while playing for St John’s College first team in his late teens, an injury that meant it would be a risk to continue playing.
The New Zealander took the decision to try his hand at refereeing in 1984 when he was working on a dairy farm in Waikato during the practical part of his Agriculture degree at Lincoln University.
Honiss, who had started playing rugby at the age of five and played through the age grades as a half-back, then had to take a year out of the sport in 1993 after contracting viral meningitis while touring Tonga with the Taranaki Representative rugby team.
The 40-year-old made his Test debut on February 20 1997 with a Rugby World Cup qualifier between hosts Tahiti and the Cook Islands, which the latter won 40-0. That year also saw Honiss become a professional referee.
This will be the second Rugby World Cup for Honiss, who is renowned for his speed, general fitness levels and match preparation, after he made his debut in October 1999 with Australia’s 57-9 defeat of Romania in Belfast.