Joël Jutge (born 5 April 1966 in Lavaur, Tarn) is a former French international rugby unionreferee. He made his international refereeing debut in a 2000 match between Italy and Romania in Naples. Jutge decided to be a referee in 1991 after his playing career was brought to an end by a knee ligament injury. He played for French club US Colomiers as a scrum-half, and later moved to Cahors before becoming a referee. He is now a referee manager.
However, since the 2007 World Cup, he suffered a chronic knee injury and had to withdraw from refereeing the Calcutta Cup match in 2009. On 16 June 2009 it was announced that Jutge had retired from refereeing.[1]
On August 3, 2012, Jutge was announced as Paddy O'Brien's successor to the position of IRB High Performance Match Official Manager. He will begin on September 3, 2012.[2]