Deal rugby referee Matt Carley takes another step up the international ladder on Saturday when he acts as one of the assistant referees in the Six Nations clash between Scotland and Wales at Murrayfield.

The 32-year-old, who lives in Foreland Square, will also be running the line in two more of the remaining matches in this year’s championship – Wales v Ireland in Cardiff on Friday, March 10, and on the final weekend, France v Wales in Paris on Saturday, March 18.

He said: “I have already acted as an assistant referee in a France international at the Stade de France but I have never done a game at the Millennium Stadium.

“I am looking forward to the special atmosphere of a Friday night game in Cardiff.”

It all makes for an exciting few weeks for the former Dover Boys’ Grammar School pupil who in November refereed his first full international – the Scotland v Georgia game in Kilmarnock.

Matt, whose grandfather John is a former Kent RFU president, recently refereed his 50th game in the Aviva Premiership, the top flight of English domestic rugby.

With his two-year RFU rolling contract shortly up for renewal, it will be a great surprise if Matt is not handed a fresh two-year deal and with it the clear possibility that in 2018 he will be appointed as one of the Six Nations’ match referees for the first time.

But for the current championship, he must concentrate on his role as one of the assistant referees and said: “Your two main responsibilities (as an assistant referee) are acting as the touch judge and looking out for foul play at scrums, line-outs and open phases of play.

“The communication systems that are now used between the referee and his assistants are top drawer in terms of the latest technology.

“The assistant referees can hear everything the match referee is saying to the players or to the TMO (video referee) all through the game and if I want to say something to the referee, all I have to do is to press a button under my shirt.”