Quarter-Final Appointments For Irish Referees
The Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup referee and assistant referee appointments have been made by the ERC Match Officials Sub Committee, taking into consideration a comprehensive ongoing review of performances across all relevant tournaments in conjunction with the Referee Managers in each Union.
ERC also provides an opportunity for coaches to share their feedback on the performance of match officials which is considered in the review process.
As the Heineken Cup moves up a gear for the knockout stages, the assistant referees for the four quarter-finals were also selected on the basis of their experience, whereas in the pool stages assistant referees were chosen from the same country as the referee.
At the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, April 7, England’s Dave Pearson will referee the first knockout stage confrontation between reigning Heineken Cup champions Leinster and the Cardiff Blues since 1996.
With in excess of 45,000 passionate home supporters ready to cheer on the holders at a venue where they remain undefeated, Cardiff will be looking to upset the party and reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2009.
France’s Romain Poite, who refereed last season’s classic Heineken Cup final, will be in charge of the all-Irish clash between Munster and Ulster at a sold-out Thomond Park on Sunday, April 8.
The first tournament meeting of the two provinces is likely to another memorable contest at the highly-charged Limerick venue.
Ireland’s own Alain Rolland will be on hand for the last of the quarter-finals when current English champions Saracens clash with 2010 French champions Clermont Auvergne at Vicarage Road.
Meanwhile, in the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals, Ireland’s John Lacey will take charge of his first European club knockout game when the 2003 champions London Wasps take on Biarritz Olympique at Adams Park on Saturday, April 7.
English outfit Exeter Chiefs will contest their first Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final when they meet Stade Francais Paris at Stade Charlety on Thursday, April 5.
Peter Fitzgibbon of Ireland has been appointed to referee the Chiefs’ knockout debut and the following day his compatriot, George Clancy, who handled last season’s Amlin Challenge Cup final, will be in the middle for the much-anticipated Anglo-French confrontation of the 2010 runners-up Toulon and last season’s champions, Harlequins.
HEINEKEN CUP QUARTER-FINALS:
Kick-offs local time –
Saturday, April 7:
Edinburgh v Toulouse, Murrayfield, 3pm; Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales), Assistant Referees: Andrew Small, Stuart Terheege (both England)
LEINSTER v Cardiff Blues, Aviva Stadium, 5.45pm; Referee: Dave Pearson (England), Assistant Referees: Pascal Gauzere (France), David Changleng (Scotland)
Sunday, April 8:
MUNSTER v ULSTER, Thomond Park, 1.45pm; Referee: Romain Poite (France), Assistant Referees: Jerome Garces, Mathieu Raynal (both France)
Saracens v Clermont Auvergne, Vicarage Road, 4.30pm; Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland), Assistant Referees: Neil Paterson (Scotland), Simon McDowell (Ireland)
AMLIN CHALLENGE CUP QUARTER-FINALS:
Kick-offs local time –
Thursday, April 5:
Stade Francais v Exeter Chiefs, Stade Charlety, 8.45pm; Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland), Assistant Referees: James Jones (Wales), David Wilkinson (Ireland)
Friday, April 6:
Toulon v Harlequins, Stade Félix Mayol,8.45pm; Referee: George Clancy (Ireland), Assistant Referees: Dudley Phillips (Ireland), Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Saturday, April 7:
London Wasps v Biarritz Olympique, Adams Park, 12.30pm; Referee: John Lacey (Ireland), Assistant Referees: Peter Allan (Scotland), Leo Colgan (Ireland)
Sunday, April 8:
Brive v Scarlets, Stade Amédée Domenech, 8.15pm; Referee: Wayne Barnes (England), Assistant Referees: Greg Garner, Paul Dix (both England)
Related Links –
Interested in Refereeing? Click here