World Rugby has released the names of the two referees who have been given the honour of refereeing the semi finals at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Frenchman Jerome Garces will referee Wales against South Africa on Sunday and Welshman Nigel Owens will officiate when New Zealand take on England on Saturday.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: "I would like to congratulate Nigel and Jérôme, the assistant referees and TMOs on their selection for the semi-finals.
"These are the best of the best, supported by a superb team, and we now look forward to compelling semi-finals at International Stadium Yokohama over the weekend."
Wayne Barnes of England and Ben O'Keefe of New Zealand will be the assistant referees for Wales' game against South Africa in Yokohama while Ben Skeen of New Zealand will be the television match official.
For the All Blacks' clash with England, Frenchmen Romain Poite and Pascal Gauzere will be the assistant referees with South African Marius Jonker as TMO.
World Rugby said that South African referee Jaco Peyper would be stood down from the semi finals amid the controversy over the photograph of him posing with Welsh fans mimicking the elbow offence that led to him sending off French lock Sebastien Vahaamahina during Wales' quarter final.
French rugby federation president Benard Laporte had called it "indefensible" and demanded a "heavy penalty". Peyper has since apologised and said he recognises the photograph was "inappropriate".
The referee for Wales' semi final, Garces, 45, was the man in charge when Wales played in England in the 2015 Six Nations in Cardiff and England refused to walk through the tunnel onto the pitch before Wales did.
He was also the man in the middle for the Lions' second Test victory over New Zealand in 2017.
Peyper's sanction means England's Wayne Barnes is still in contention to referee the final along with Garces and Owens, who would become only the second person to referee two Rugby World Cup finals if he is given the honour - although that can only happen if South Africa beat Wales in the semi final as World Rugby rules ban referees from officiating in matches involving their own nations.
Only one match official has ever refereed two Rugby World Cup finals - South Africa's Andre Watson, who held the whistle in 1999 when the final was in Cardiff at the Millennium Stadium, and was given the honour against in Sydney in Australia in 2003.
There are only six other people on the elite list of referees who have controlled finals: South Africa's Craig Joubert, Australia’s Kerry Fitzgerald, England’s Ed Morrison, Ireland’s Alain Rolland plus Wales’ Derek Bevan and Nigel Owens.
In 2015, when he was given the honour, Mynyddcerrig's Owens refereed in the quarter final and the final. In 2011, when Craig Joubert was given the honour, the South African refereed in all of the knockout stages, quarters, semis and the final. In 2007, Irishman Alain Rolland refereed a quarter final and the final.
In 2003, Andre Watson had not refereed either a quarter final or semi final before being handed the whistle for the final, although he had been a TMO for one of the quarter finals.
