Cole referees Irish opener

SIX NATIONS: Ireland's opening match in this season's Six Nations Championship against Scotland at Murrayfield will have Australian referee Andrew Cole in charge.

Six days later when Eddie O'Sullivan's team visit the Stadio Flaminio in Rome to take on Italy, England's Tony Spreadbury will be the man in the middle.

When the French visit Lansdowne Road on March 8th, South Africa's respected whistler Andre Watson will be officiating, while two weeks later it will be another Englishman, Steve Lander, who takes charge of Ireland's game against Wales.

South African Jonathan Kaplan will be in charge of Ireland's final Six Nations outing, against England at Lansdowne Road.

There was good news for Irish referees Dave McHugh, Alain Rolland and Alan Lewis, who were chosen by the International Board to referee one match each during the Six Nations.

No Scottish officials feature among the referee or touch judges, but Argentinian referee Pablo Deluca and Italian Guilio de Santis have been included.

Meanwhile former Lions coach Ian McGeechan confirmed yesterday he would step down from his post after the 2003 World Cup and succeed Jim Telfer as the Scottish Rugby Union's (SRU) director of rugby. Telfer is due to retire from his post following the World Cup in Australia.

SIX NATIONS 2003

REFEREE APPOINTMENTS

February 15th: Italy v Wales (Joel Jutge, France). England v France (Paul Honiss, New Zealand).

February 16th: Scotland v Ireland (Andrew Cole, Australia).

February 22nd: Italy v Ireland (Tony Spreadbury, England); Wales v England (Steve Walsh, New Zealand).

February 23rd: France v Scotland (Peter Marshall, Australia).

March 8th: Ireland v France (Andre Watson, South Africa); Scotland v Wales (Pablo Deluca, Argentina).

March 9th: England v Italy (Alain Rolland, Ireland).

March 22nd: Wales v Ireland (Steve Lander, England); England v Scotland (Alan Lewis, Ireland).

March 23rd: Italy v France (Nigel Williams, Wales).

March 29th: France v Wales (Paddy O'Brien, New Zealand), Scotland v Italy (David McHugh, Ireland).

March 30th: Ireland v England (Jonathan Kaplan, South Africa).