Rugby World Cup 2015 - All Blacks v South Africa: French referee Jerome Garces takes charge of semi-final

Frenchman Jerome Garces will control the All Blacks' World Cup semifinal clash against the Springboks. Photo / Getty Images.

Frenchman Jerome Garces will control the All Blacks' World Cup semifinal clash against the Springboks.

Garces will referee Sunday's match with compatriot Romain Poite and Irishman John Lacey on the sideline. George Ayoub of Australia is the TMO.

England's Wayne Barnes will take charge of the Australia-Argentina game on Monday assisted by Jaco Peyper of South Africa and Ireland's George Clancy. Kiwi Ben Skeen is the TMO.

The appointments indicate that Welshman Nigel Owens, widely regarded as rugby's best whistler, will take control of the final.

Garces was in charge of this year's Rugby Champsionship Test between New Zealand and South Africa which the All Blacks fought back to win 27-20 in Johannesburg in July.

The 41-year-old was also in charge in a tense 2014 clash in Wellington, which New Zealand won 14-10.

The All Blacks have won all five Tests Garces has whistled, including comfortable home wins over England and Argentina and a hefty defeat of Scotland in 2012. He was referee for Sunday's quarter-final between Argentina and Ireland.

"Like most referees, Garces puts a poker face barrier between himself and the men in the thick of the action. Inter-action between himself and the players will be limited," wrote David Bodilly, a former international elite referee, in a column for Wales Online.

"Most French officials have a default setting of tending to let things go. Ie, get the ball in and out and let's get on with the game. Even if the scrum is a mess, provided it's at the feet of the number eight they tend to be happy.

"However, if they feel something is fundamentally wrong - namely something that significantly affects the flow of a match - they will act."

Craig Joubert, the subject of major criticism for his handling of the Australia-Scotland quarterfinal, has been dumped out of the World Cup.

Once regarded as the best referee in the game, the South African has been sidelined from the semifinals after World Rugby ruled Joubert had been incorrect in awarding Australia a penalty from which Bernard Foley landed the winning goal. Australia should have been awarded a scrum instead.