England vs Australia referee was stabbed as match turned violent before culprit escaped
Rugby official Nika Amashukeli was put through a frightening ordeal due to the attack with the offender absconding, never to be found
Nika Amashukeli, the referee for England's match against Australia on Saturday, was once stabbed in the leg by an assailant who managed to evade capture. The two fierce rivals will face off for the Ella-Mobbs Trophy as they reignite their 116-year-old rivalry.
Georgian national Amashukeli will officiate the Quilter Nations Series match, having previously been at the centre of a horrifying incident in his homeland.
Despite being a keen football fan in his youth, Amashukeli started playing rugby at the age of 11 and watched his first ever match on TV during the 2007 Rugby World Cup when his father persuaded him to watch a rugby game between Ireland v Georgia. However, a string of injuries led him to take up refereeing.
Amashukeli's career almost ended before it had even begun, however. A match he was officiating in 2016 spiralled into chaos and violence at the final whistle.
The match in the Didi 10, the top level of Georgian rugby, saw Armia snatch a dramatic late draw against Batumi, with a misunderstanding between Amashukeli and the Batumi captain leading to them losing control of the game, reports Wales Online.
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"They kicked the ball out after two minutes but I didn't end the game – as there were two minutes left. Then the other team caught the line-out, won a penalty, and kicked it to draw the match."
From there, things quickly spiralled, as Amashukeli continued: "The home team exploded and accused me of cheating. When the supporters saw their players getting emotional and throwing their hands up in the air, they became very emotional and started swearing."
Amashukeli was then knifed in the leg and began haemorrhaging blood. "It was an emotional match," he added.
"After I left the pitch, there was a lot of abuse and swearing and the supporters followed. There was a big scuffle but the adrenaline was rushing through me. Someone had a knife. Suddenly, I felt something in my leg. I looked down, blood was pouring out. I had been stabbed."
The individual who knifed Amashukeli has never been caught, but whilst the Georgian initially considered abandoning the sport following the attack, he managed to make a complete recovery. Amashukeli originally played for Georgia at U17, U18 and U19 levels.
He was even picked for the squad for the 2012 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship, but was compelled to retire at just 20, having already endured five concussions, fractured an ankle and developed a knee problem. Despite having to hang up his boots, his passion for the sport didn't wane, leading him to transition into refereeing.
He made his Test debut as a referee in 2015, overseeing the first half of Montenegro vs Estonia in a European Nations Cup Third Division match and later officiated at the 2019 World U20 Championship in Argentina.
He also shone at the 2020 Autumn Nations Cup. He then made history by becoming the first Georgian to referee a Tier One game when he took the reins during Wales v Canada in July 2021.
The following year, he made his Six Nations debut as Ireland triumphed over Italy in Dublin, while he was one of six match officials selected for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
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