Thomond Park jury still out as Jutge returns to lay down law

NEIL BACK will always be the villain of the piece in Munster for his cheating in the 2002 Heineken European Cup final at the Millennium Stadium.

Very much the same applies to Tana Umaga and Keven Mealaumu for the spear tackle that put paid to Brian O’Driscoll’s Lions Tour last summer. The common denominator is Joel Jutge, the French referee who failed to see either incident.

Amazingly Jutge has escaped almost scot-free and his name is rarely if ever mentioned when the two happenings are discussed.

And so it will be again tomorrow evening when he has the pleasure - dubious or otherwise - to grace the Thomond Park pitch for the all-important Heineken Cup clash of Munster and Sale Sharks.

Given the enormity of the occasion, it’s just as well that the Frenchman is one of the most experienced officials in the game. Jutge made his debut as an international referee in Italy’s 37-17 defeat of Romania in Naples in November 2000 having turned to refereeing after his playing career with Colomiers was cut short by injury.

He has had considerable contact with Ireland’s leading players. He showed Paul O’Connell a yellow card in the first Lions Test against New Zealand in Christchurch last summer for what was regarded as “an early tackle and professional foul.” Of course, that was the game in which O’Driscoll was the victim of the infamous spear tackle.

When Kevin Maggs looked to have scored a crucial try in Ulster’s European meeting with Saracens before Christmas, Jutge again went to the video referee and technically was wrong to do so.

Maggs had been sent over by a pass from Andrew Trimble who, as it happened, had put a foot in touch.

But the rules state that the referee only goes upstairs to check on what the try scorer has done and not the player who gave the scoring pass.

In fairness, when a man has refereed as many top-class matches as Jutge, these contentious moments are sure to occur, and he’s not prone to them more than any other leading official.

Former England out-half and Sky Sports pundit Stuart Barnes maintains: “He’s the best referee to come out of France in some time and right up there vying for position as best in the world. If France are not in the World Cup final in 2007, bet on him to referee the game.”

It’s not all bad memories for Munster fans though, Jutge was also in charge of ‘The Miracle Match’ at Thomond in 2003, when Munster had to beat Gloucester by four tries and 27 points to qualify for the quarter-finals - and did!