Rugby union: Does Wellingborough have the world’s oldest referee?

87 year old Nando di Matteo says he has refereed about 2,500 rugby matches

The family of an 87-year-old man has written to Guinness World Records to find out if he is the world's oldest rugby referee.

Nando di Matteo estimates he has refereed 2,500 matches in the UK and abroad since starting in 1982.

He is based at Wellingborough RFC in Northamptonshire.

Mr di Matteo said he originally he stepped up when his son's school was short of a match official, and "it was a bit of a nightmare".

Despite the rocky start, he decided to take the training course and get qualified and he has not looked back.

"They give you the badge for your shirt and you just go out. I worked as a ladies' hairdresser and I used to rush from work to the games," he said.

Mr di Matteo moved to the UK from Italy in 1964 and said he had never been interested in rugby before he arrived.

"When I watched a couple of games on TV I said 'what are they doing there?', he said.

"I just went through all the books I could get, to learn about the laws and positions."

'Guinness and banana'

He puts his longevity on the pitch down to "a good diet" and healthy lifestyle.

"I go to the gym at least three times a week. When I've been sitting at home for a while, I go running for 10 minutes - you get stiff from sitting too long," he added.

He said that despite reports about him necking Guinness after a match, he "eats properly" and avoids "excessive" drink.

"I know everyone talks about Guinness and banana - I get one Guinness after the game."

Mr di Matteo's family is looking into whether he is the oldest rugby referee on the planet, but he said he was not particularly fussed.

"I don't know - but - whatever. Provided I enjoy myself, and when I don't enjoy it anymore, I'll do more work to watch younger referees come up and help them," he said.