Gallagher And Murphy To Take Charge Of PRO14 Fixtures
IRFU referee Frank Murphy is one of a number of IRFU referees in European action this weekend
The match official appointments have been confirmed for the third round of the GUINNESS PRO14, with IRFU referees Sean Gallagher and Frank Murphy taking charge of two of Saturday’s fixtures.
Scotland’s Mike Adamson and Italian referee Marius Mitrea, who has held the whistle for 90 PRO14 games to date, have been appointed to Friday’s games involving Munster and Connacht respectively, while Leinster v Edinburgh will be refereed by Wales’ Ben Whitehouse with the IRFU’s George Clancy as an assistant.
Wales’ Craig Evans will be the man in the middle in Port Elizabeth on Saturday when Ulster visit the Isuzu Southern Kings, and for his 16th Championship appearance, Navan clubman Gallagher will take of Glasgow Warriors v Cardiff Blues with fellow IRFU officials Jonny Erskine and Brian MacNeice also on duty at Scotstoun.
Completing the fully neutral set of referees is Cork native Murphy who has been appointed to the Ospreys-Benetton Rugby clash in Cardiff, supported by TMO Olly Hodges from the IRFU. This weekend’s appointments combine for a total of 228 appearances in the Championship.
The first conference meeting with all PRO14 referees and head coaches took place in London last month. The focus areas on the breakdown, scrum, lineout & maul, space and foul play were set in a collaborative discussion with coaches and referees.
In each area a ‘critical few’ factors were identified in order to set performance markers and goals. These guidelines have been shared with all match officials, clubs and stakeholders with referee performances being judged against these criteria. The process around the TMO has also been targeted in order to facilitate more consistent outcomes this season.
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GUINNESS PRO14 – ROUND 3 REFEREE APPOINTMENTS:
Friday, October 11 –
Toyota Cheetahs v MUNSTER, Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein, kick-off 6.15pm local time/5.15pm Irish time
Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)
Assistant Referees: Griffin Colby, Paul Mente (both SARU)
TMO: Lourens van der Merwe (SARU)
Dragons v CONNACHT, Rodney Parade, kick-off 7.35pm
Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR)
Assistant Referees: Dan Jones (WRU), Federico Vedovelli (FIR)
TMO: Charles Samson (SRU)
LEINSTER v Edinburgh, the RDS, kick-off 7.35pm
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU)
Assistant Referees: George Clancy (IRFU), Wayne Davies (WRU)
TMO: Sean Brickell (WRU)
Saturday, October 12 –
Scarlets v Zebre, Parc y Scarlets, kick-off 3pm
Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge (SARU)
Assistant Referees: Dan Jones, Justin Williams (both WRU)
TMO: Charles Samson (SRU)
Isuzu Southern Kings v ULSTER, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth, kick-off 4pm local time/3pm Irish time
Referee: Craig Evans (WRU)
Assistant Referees: Ian Davies (WRU), Ben Crouse (SARU)
TMO: Johan Greeff (SARU)
Glasgow Warriors v Cardiff Blues, Scotstoun Stadium, kick-off 7.35pm
Referee: Sean Gallagher (IRFU)
Assistant Referees: Ben Blain (SRU), Jonny Erskine (IRFU)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (IRFU)
Ospreys v Benetton Rugby, Liberty Stadium, kick-off 7.35pm
Referee: Frank Murphy (IRFU)
Assistant Referees: Gwyn Morris, Simon Rees (both WRU)
TMO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)