Bloke crowned the 'fastest referee on the planet' after somehow keeping up with Josh Addo-Carr

Josh Addo-Carr, as we all know, is the fastest man on the planet – well, at least according to Phil Gould.

But it looks like there's a new sheriff in town who could lay claim to that lofty accolade.

In incredible scenes at the rugby league World Cup, one referee somehow - rather miraculously - managed to keep up with Addo-Carr during his runaway try.

The footage makes for spectacular viewing with the official showing off his lightning-quick pace.

During Australia's emphatic 6-6 victory over Samoa, Addo-Carr scored a sublime solo try where he ran the entire length of the field.

The Samoan players couldn't get anywhere near The Foxx, although on-field official Chris Reardon certainly could.

As Addo-Carr hit the gas and accelerated down the field, you could see the referee pin his ears back and sprint alongside the rapid winger.

Miraculously, the referee was still alongside Addo-Carr as the grounded the ball to extend Australia's lead.

Footage of the ref's blistering pace soon flooded social media and rugby league fans had a field day with it.

Fox Sports commentator Andrew Voss simply tweeted: "Fastest man on the planet."

While Channel Nine presenter Peter Psaltis added: "Great try Josh Addo-Carr... but seriously how fast is the ref????? He got in front of the fastest man on the planet!”

But Reardon wasn't just praised for his impressive sprint speed.

Psaltis' Channel Nine colleague Mathew Thompson tweeted: "Just quietly, I rate this referee Chris Kendall. No nonsense. Lets the teams play. I’m a fan."

As for Addo-Carr, his individual performance saw fans call out Brad Fittler for not picking his during this year's State of Origin series.

“It’s more of a case of Daniel Tupou playing his way in, what he’s done at the Roosters, how safe he is, the way he brings the ball out of trouble," Fittler told SEN at the time. 

“I feel like at the moment...I don’t think it’d be right on Fox (Addo-Carr) or the team to go into Game I.

“We’ve communicated, and he’s committed to getting back in the team. My line to him was, he belongs here. That was a tough one.”

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@RLWC2021

Topics: Australia, NRL, Rugby League

Max Sherry

Max Sherry is a journalist for SPORTbible Australia. After migrating Down Under from London as a teenager, he instantly fell in love with Aussie sport and its culture. From NRL to AFL, cricket to rugby — you name it, Max watches it (with a beer in hand, of course). During his time at Fox Sports, he worked in the football department covering the Premier League, A-League, Socceroos and Matildas. Born a stone's throw away from West Ham's training ground, Max is obviously a die-hard Liverpool fan.

@maxysherry