diff --git a/azure/azure-release-pipeline.yml b/azure/azure-release-pipeline.yml
index 9687628c9..861145c87 100644
--- a/azure/azure-release-pipeline.yml
+++ b/azure/azure-release-pipeline.yml
@@ -75,6 +75,8 @@ extends:
         jinja_templates:
           ENVIRONMENT_TYPE: 'internal'
           ERROR_ABOUT_LINK: ${{ variables.error_about_link }}
+          # ref has no app-response backend, point at the communications-manager-target instead
+          APP_RESPONSE_TARGET_SERVER: 'communications-manager-target'
         post_deploy:
           - template: ./templates/run-tests.yml
             parameters:
diff --git a/proxies/live/apiproxy/targets/app-response-target.xml b/proxies/live/apiproxy/targets/app-response-target.xml
index 22d756377..c4e4f442f 100644
--- a/proxies/live/apiproxy/targets/app-response-target.xml
+++ b/proxies/live/apiproxy/targets/app-response-target.xml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
             <Enabled>true</Enabled>
         </SSLInfo>
         <LoadBalancer>
-            <Server name="app-response-target"/>
+            <Server name="{{ APP_RESPONSE_TARGET_SERVER | default('app-response-target') }}"/>
         </LoadBalancer>
         <Path>{requestpath}</Path>
         <Properties>