Owens to referee Heineken Cup final

NIGEL OWENS will referee the Heineken Cup final between Leinster and Ulster at Twickenham on May 19th.

This will be the third European final refereed by the Welsh official, having previously taken charge of the 2008 decider when Munster beat Toulouse and a year later when Leinster beat the Leicester Tigers.

Interestingly, Owens will be joined by two French assistants as Romain Poite and Gerome Garces will run the touch lines.

Meanwhile, the ERC continues to select England’s top referee Wayne Barnes, despite the IRB demoting him and fellow countryman Dave Pearson from the tier one grouping after the Six Nations.

Barnes will be assisted by Pearson and JP Doyle at the Twickenham Stoop on Friday, May 18th, for the Amlin Challenge Cup final between Biarritz Olympique and Toulon. It’s a particularly important fixture for Biarritz as they have yet to qualify for next season’s Heineken Cup.

HEINEKEN CUP FINAL – Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales). Assistant referees: Romain Poite (France) and Jerome Garces (France).

Amlin Challenge Cup final – Referee: Wayne Barnes (Eng). Assistant referees Dave Pearson (Eng) and JP Doyle (Eng).