Rugby:There was good news for one Irishman when the referees for next month's Heineken Cup quarter-finals were announced this afternoon. Allain Rolland will be in charge at Vicarage Road when Saracens host Clermont Auvergne on Sunday, April 8th.
However, it is unlikely Leinster’s Ireland contingent will be happy to see Dave Pearson return to the Aviva Stadium for their game against Cardiff Blues on Saturday, April 7th, while the Thomond Park derby between Munster and Ulster the following day will be on Frenchman Roman Poite’s watch.
Pearson was assistant to referee Wayne Barnes when advising the latter to issue just a yellow card to Welshman Bradley Davies in the opening game of the Six Nations, after the lock dropped Donnacha Ryan on his head.
In Paris, Declan Kidney was “disgusted” by what he saw as a disproportionate penalty count inflicted by the Englishman during Ireland’s 17-17 draw against France.
Poite has form at Thomond Park and a bit of history with Paul O’Connell, having sin-binned the lock against Northampton in 2010. More recently, dubious penalties against the captain and James Coughlan were converted into six points by Harlequins in last season’s deserved Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final defeat.
The first quarter-final between Edinburgh and Toulouse at Murrayfield will be refereed by Welshman Nigel Owens, while Ireland's John Lacey will take charge of his first European knockout game when he oversees the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final between Wasps and Biarritz at Adams Park on April 7th.
George Clancy, meanwhile, will be the man in the middle when Toulon host Harlequins a day beforehand.
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