Following the online abuse he received in the wake of the 2023 Rugby World Cup final, Tom Foley has stepped away from officiating Test rugby.

The 38-year-old said ‘now feels the right time to take a break’ from internationals but will continue to referee Premiership matches

The television match official from the Rugby World Cup final stepped away from the international game "for the foreseeable future" on Monday, blaming a “torrent of criticism and abuse online." English official Tom Foley made a series of big calls in the title match between New Zealand and South Africa in October in Paris,

Match official Tom Foley will take a break from international rugby because of the "torrent of abuse" he received after the World Cup final.

Tom Foley, the television match official for this year’s World Cup final, is the latest figure to walk away from international rugby citing “online abuse”. The news comes after both the referee Wayne Barnes retired and England captain Owen Farrell stepped back from international duty for the same reasons.

English rugby referee Tom Foley has decided to step away from international match officiating for the foreseeable future, citing online abuse as a major reason on Monday.

Referee Tom Foley will take a step back from officiating international rugby after receiving a “torrent of criticism and abuse” after the Rugby World Cup final.