EPRC – the organisation behind the European Challenge Cup, and European Champions Cup – have announced the batch of 40 referee appointments for rounds one and two of this years competition.
There will be 29 referees from seven Unions officiating in the first two rounds. All the usual suspects will be in action – the eight professional referees in England all get fixtures across both tournaments, seven from France, six from Ireland – inc Challenge Cup action for Ireland’s Joy Neville – and then four from Wales. New referees to this year’s squad include Scotland’s Ben Blain, England’s Cristophe Ridley and Karl Dixon as well as France’s Ludovic Cayre and Pierre Brousset.
An interesting, if not new, name on the list is Vlad Lordachescu who makes his return to top tier action after the Belgium v Spain controversy earlier this year. He will be in La Rochelle who host Enesei STM on 19 October in round two of the Challenge Cup.
The match officials for Heineken Champions Cup, Challenge Cup and Continental Shield fixtures are selected by a committee chaired by Joel Jutge, EPCR’s Head of Match Officials (pictured left). The committee makes the selections having reviewed performances across all relevant tournaments in conjunction with feedback from the referee managers in each Union and from club coaching staff.
Champions Cup – Round 1
Ties to be played the weekend of 12-14 October
Leinster Rugby v Wasps
Referee- Romain Poite (Fra)
Bath Rugby v Toulouse
Referee – Andrew Brace (Ire)
Montpellier v Edinburgh Rugby
Referee – Wayne Barnes (Eng)
Exeter Chiefs v Munster Rugby
Referee – Jérome Garcès (Fra)
Scarlets v Racing 92
Referee – Matthew Carley (Eng)
Ulster Rugby v Leicester Tigers
Referee – Pascal Gauzère (Fra)
Gloucester Rugby v Castres Olympique
Referee – Marius Mitrea (Ita)
Lyon v Cardiff Blues
Referee- JP Doyle (Eng)
RC Toulon v Newcastle Falcons
Referee – Ben Whitehouse (Wal)
Glasgow Warriors v Saracens
Referee – Mathieu Raynal (Fra)
Round 2 (18-21 October)
Leicester Tigers v Scarlets
Referee – Romain Poite (Fra)
Munster Rugby v Gloucester Rugby
Referee – Alexandre Ruiz (Fra)
Castres Olympique v Exeter Chiefs
Referee – John Lacey (Ire)
Edinburgh Rugby v RC Toulon
Referee – JP Doyle (Eng)
Wasps v Bath Rugby
Referee – Jérome Garcès (Fra)
Saracens v Lyon
Referee – George Clancy (Ire)
Racing 92 v Ulster Rugby
Referee – Nigel Owens (Wal)
Newcastle Falcons v Montpellier
Referee – Mike Adamson (Sco)
Toulouse v Leinster Rugby
Referee – Wayne Barnes (Eng)
Cardiff Blues v Glasgow Warriors
Referee – Luke Pearce (Eng)
Challenge Cup – Round 1
Ties to be played the weekend of 12-14 October
Perpignan v Sale Sharks
Referee – Joy Neville (Ire)
Enisei-STM v La Rochelle
Referee – Christophe Ridley (Eng)
Timisoara Saracens v Dragons
Referee – Pierre Brousset (Fra)
Benetton Rugby v Grenoble
Referee – Craig Maxwell-Keys (Eng)
Ospreys v Pau
Referee – Tom Foley (Eng)
Northampton Saints v ASM Clermont Auvergne
Referee – Nigel Owens (Wal)
Harlequins v Agen
Referee – Ian Davies (Wal)
Bristol Bears v Zebre Rugby
Referee – Frank Murphy (Ire)
Connacht Rugby v Bordeaux-Begles
Referee – Mike Adamson (Sco)
Stade Francais Paris v Worcester Warriors
Referee – Dan Jones (Wal)
Challenge Cup- Round 2 (18-21 October)
Agen v Benetton Rugby
Referee – Karl Dickson (Eng)
La Rochelle v Enisei-STM
Referee – Vlad Iordachescu (Rom)
Dragons v Northampton Saints
Referee – Mathieu Raynal (Fra)
Pau v Stade Francais Paris
Referee – Craig Maxwell-Keys (Fra)
Zebre Rugby v Bristol Bears
Referee – Ludovic Cayre (Fra)
Worcester Warriors v Ospreys
Referee – Pierre Brousset (Fra)
ASM Clermont Auvergne v Timisoara Saracens
Referee – Ben Blain (Sco)
Sale Sharks v Connacht Rugby
Referee – Ben Whitehouse (Wal)
Bordeaux-Begles v Perpignan
Referee – Tom Foley (Eng)
Grenoble v Harlequins
Referee – Sean Gallagher (Ire)
