Rolland faces red-hot Welsh reception

IRELAND referee Alain Rolland can expect a red-hot reception when he takes charge of the Heineken Cup clash between Scarlets and Northampton Saints next month.

The Pool One tie, on January 14, will be Rolland’s first Heineken Cup game in Wales since his decision to red-card Welsh captain Sam Warburton in the World Cup semi-final defeat by France in New Zealand.

Meanwhile, Romain Poite (France) will take charge of Munster’s final game of the pool series, away to Northampton on January 21.

HEINEKEN CUP REFEREES

Round Five, Friday, January 13: Pool 2: Racing Metro 92 v Edinburgh, (Dave Pearson, England); Pool 4: Ulster v Leicester Tigers, (Romain Poite, France); Pool 5: Ospreys v Benetton Treviso, (JP Doyle, England).

Saturday, January 14: Pool 1: Scarlets v Northampton Saints, (Alain Rolland, Ireland); Munster v Castres Olympique, (Andrew Small, England); Pool 2: London Irish v Cardiff Blues, (Neil Paterson, Scotland); Pool 3: Montpellier v Bath, (Dudley Phillips, Ireland); Pool 4: Aironi v ASM Clermont Auvergne, (Leighton Hodges, Wales); Pool 6: Toulouse v Connacht , (Wayne Barnes, England); Harlequins v Gloucester, (Pascal Gauzere, France).

Sunday, January 15: Pool 3: Glasgow Warriors v Leinster, (Nigel Owens, Wales); Pool 5: Saracens v Biarritz Olympique, (George Clancy, Ireland).

Round Six

Friday, January 20: Pool 6: Connacht v Harlequins, (Nigel Owens, Wales); Gloucester v Toulouse, (George Clancy, Ireland).

Saturday, January 21: Pool 1: Castres Olympique v Scarlets, (JP Doyle, England); Northampton Saints v Munster, (Romain Poite, France); Pool 3: Bath v Glasgow Warriors, (John Lacey, Ireland); Leinster v Montpellier, (Greg Garner, England); Pool 4: Leicester Tigers v Aironi , (Christophe Berdos, France); ASM Clermont Auvergne v Ulster, (Dave Pearson, England).

Sunday, January 22: Pool 2: Cardiff Blues v Racing Metro 92, (Andrew Small, England); Edinburgh v London Irish, (Peter Fitzgibbon, Ireland); Pool 5: Benetton Treviso v Saracens, (Alain Rolland, Ireland); Biarritz Olympique v Ospreys, (Wayne Barnes, England).