Referee profiles A-C

George Ayoub (Australia)

Full name: George Joseph Ayoub
Born: Sydney, 23 October 1963
Educated: St Patrick's College, Strathfield
Occupation: schoolmaster, then referees' manager for NSW
Started refereeing: 1994
Society: New South Wales Referees' Society
First Test: 20002, Japan vs Tonga

Manuel Barros (Portugal)

Full name: Manuel Maria Godinho Quintino de Barros
Born: Lisbon, 6 June 1967
Martial Status: Single
Occupation: Air Liquide in the sales department
Started refereeing: 1998/1999 season
FIRA-AER referee: 2000/2001
Referees' Society: Conselho de Arbitragem

Klaus Blank (Germany)

Full name: Klaus Blank
Born: 1960
Family: married to Angelika. They have two sons.
Occupation: Laboratory manager at Heidelberger Druckmaschinen 
Playing career: Started playing at the age of six; played wing.
Started refereeing: 1988
First Test: 1993, Bulgaria vs Lithuania
Number of Test: 5
Other internationals: 9 Sevens, 1 Student, 5 Under-19, 3 Women.
International Tournaments:
1997    Under-19 World Cup, Chile
2000    Women's European Championships in Spain
2001    Under-19 World Cup, Chile

Lyndon Bray (New Zealand)

Full name: Lyndon Bray
Born: Dundein, 15 November 1966
Educated: Otago University, Dunedin
Occupation: professional referee from 2003
Started refereeing: 1983 with the Otago Referees; Association
Present society: Wellington Referees' Association
First league: 1990
First representative match: 1991
First Test: 2001, Vanuatu vs Papua New Guinea

Andrew Cole (Australia)

Full name Andrew John Cole
Born: Brisbane, 1 October 1960
Educated: Marist Brothers College, Ashgrove, University of Queensland 
Family: Married to Anne-Maree with three children - Michael, David and Megan
Occupation: professional referee, dentist
Started refereeing: 1977
First test: 1997, Samoa vs Tonga

Donal Courtney (Ireland)

Full name: Donal Gerard Courtney
Born:Dublin, 22 May 1964
Educated: Christian Brothers College Monkstown Park, Trinity College Dublin, Master of Business Studies, Fellow of the Institute Of Chartered Accountants in Ireland
Occupation: chartered accountant, European CFO of the General Motors property financing bank based in Dublin's International Financial Services Centre
Family: Married to Sarah with three children
Playing career: Wing for Monkstown
Started refereeing: 1992
Referees' Society: Leinster Branch of Referees
First Test: 2002, Uruguay vs USA