Williams to referee Heineken Cup quarter-final

NIGEL WILLIAMS will referee the Heineken Cup quarter-final between defending champions Leicester Tigers and Munster - a repeat of last season's thrilling Millennium Stadium final.

The 42-year-old Welsh official has been appointed for the Sunday, 13 April, tie in front of the BBC Grandstand cameras - three weeks after making his Six Nations debut by taking charge of Italy against France in Rome in his fifth major international. His appointment will be generally welcomed in Munster on the basis that they have played under his control on a number of occasions and there has been no major controversy with his handling of the games to date.

English referees Tony Spreadbury and Steve Lander will be charge of the Llanelli v Perpignan and Leinster Lions v Biarritz Olympique matches respectively, with Irish official Alan Lewis travelling to France for Northampton Saints’ clash with Toulouse.