Clancy’s rise through ranks leads him to biggest stage of all

There may not be any Irish teams running out in Cardiff later today, but Ireland will be represented by referee Alain Rolland and assistant referee George Clancy in the 19th Heineken Cup final.

While it will be Rolland’s swansong, Clancy may well take centre stage in the near future if his career continues on the same trajectory. His passion for the game is obvious from the types of matches he has officiated in this year.

This season alone, Clancy has refereed games from Thomond v Old Crescent in the Gleeson J2 league to Australia v South Africa in Brisbane in the Rugby Championship, back to a match in the last round of the Ulster Bank League before taking the Amlin Cup semi-final in London.