Ref Lewis announces plans to retire

International referee Alan Lewis has announced his intention to retire from refereeing at the end of this season.

With 45 major international test matches to his credit, including a Rugby World Cup quarter final and games across the RBS 6 Nations Championship and the Tri Nations, Lewis is one of the longest serving IRFU International referees.

He also holds the record for matches in European competition with an incredible 83 matches, 71 of which were Heineken Cup matches, including three semi finals and the Heineken Cup Final in 2007.