O'Keeffe
Ben O'Keeffe is one of the finest rugby referees on the planet. Discover his career with RugbyPass, your resident rugby gurus.
Ben O'Keeffe Bio
Ben O'Keeffe is an elite rugby union referee who has officiated test matches, Super Rugby games and ties in the Rugby World Cup. Outside of rugby, he practices as a doctor in ophthalmology. Ben O'Keefe was inducted into the RugbyPass Hall of Fame in 2021.
Born 3 January 1989, Ben O'Keeffe began refereeing rugby matches in 2008. Although he was only 19 at the time, his talent was obvious and he quickly rose through the ranks. As a result, he became professional in 2013 and refereed his first ITM Cup (now Bunnings NPC) match during the same season. After a couple of seasons refereeing in the competition, he was asked to officiate in the final in 2015.
Prior to this, in 2014, Ben O'Keeffe began to work as an assistant referee in Super Rugby. A year later, he was selected as a referee in the competition.
Due to his impressive performances at the domestic level, Ben O'Keeffe made his debut as an assistant referee on the international stage during the 2015 Pacific Nations Cup. The very next year, he was selected as an assistant referee for two Six Nations Championship ties.
In 2016, Ben O'Keeffe made his international refereeing debut as the main official. Later in the same year, he refereed in his first match between two tier one nations. Ever since, he has regularly refereed in both The Six Nations Championship and The Rugby Championship.
At the 2019 edition of the tournament, Ben O'Keeffe was selected as the Rugby World Cup’s youngest referee. At the tournament, he took charge of three pool games and worked as an assistant referee in the knockout stages.
Still in the prime of his career and with plenty more to prove, we can’t wait to see what other finals and big occasions Ben O'Keeffe will officiate in.
