Owens the man in the middle again

LEINSTER will have Welsh referee Nigel Owens in charge of their Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Leicester, following the latest round of appointments for next month’s European Rugby Cup matches.

Owens, who took charge of Leinster’s 2009 Heineken Cup final win over the Tigers, has been given the whistle for the clash of the former champions, scheduled for the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, April 9.

Owens more recently refereed Ireland’s Six Nations win over Scotland at Murrayfield last month, while Ulster’s last-eight showdown with Northampton Saints in Milton Keynes on Sunday, April 10, has been awarded to French official Romain Poite, who handled Ireland’s Six Nations opener in Italy.

Poite, who was withdrawn during the Calcutta Cup match between England and Scotland two weeks ago with a calf strain, will be refereeing his first Heineken Cup knock-out match.

There will be another familiar face for Munster when they travel to former Heineken Cup winners Brive for their Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final on April 9.

English referee Dave Pearson, who handled Munster’s Heineken Cup round five pool defeat in Toulon, during which both Ronan O’Gara and Donncha O’Callaghan as well as Toulon prop Davit Kubriashvili were sin-binned, has once again been appointed to Tony McGahan’s side.

Pearson was also in charge when Ireland went down to France in the second game of this year’s Six Nations.

Irish officials will also be front and centre on quarter-final weekend. Alain Rolland takes charge of the all-French contest between Perpignan and Toulon at Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium on the Saturday.

And in the Amlin Challenge Cup, George Clancy will get the knock-out stages underway on Thursday, April 7, when he referees La Rochelle against ASM Clermont Auvergne while Alan Lewis also has an all-French tie, between Stade Français and Montpellier in Paris.

Heineken Cup quarter-finals

Saturday, April 9: Perpignan v Toulon, (Alain Rolland, Ireland); Leinster v Leicester Tigers, (Nigel Owens, Wales).

Sunday, April 10: Northampton Saints v Ulster, (Romain Poite, France); Biarritz Olympique v Toulouse, (Wayne Barnes, England).

Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals

Thursday, April 7: La Rochelle v ASM Clermont Auvergne, (George Clancy, Ireland).

Friday, April 8: Harlequins v London Wasps, (Christophe Berdos, France); Stade Français v Montpellier, (Alan Lewis, Ireland).

Saturday, April 9: Brive v Munster, (Dave Pearson, England).