White To Referee Magners League Decider
English referee Chris White has been chosen to take charge of the inaugural Magners League grand final between Leinster and Ospreys at the RDS on Saturday week (kick-off 6.30pm).
This will be Chris White’s eighth Magners League game, his previous Celtic record includes the 2003 final at the Millennium Stadium when Munster beat Neath.
White will lead an international team of officials appointed to the game – Scotsmen Andy Macpherson and David Changleng will be his assistant referees.
To ensure impartiality, two Munster Branch appointees, Leo Colgan and Dermot Moloney, will act as 4th and 5th officials respectively. Scotland’s Jim Yuille completes the match official group as the television match official.
The Guinness Premiership’s most experienced referee, White has clocked up 179 games in charge since making his debut in England’s top flight in October 1994.
He will be familiar with the concept of a grand final, having taken charge of two Premiership finals in 2004 and 2005.
He has more than 50 Heineken Cup matches to his name, including three finals – the all-French affairs of 2003 and 2005, and Munster’s victory over Biarritz Olympique at the Millennium Stadium in 2006 – and also officiated at the Rugby World Cup semi-final in 2003.
White will be backed up by an experienced team at the RDS on Saturday week. His assistant referees, Andy Macpherson and David Changleng, have refereed more than 50 Magners League games between them and are both named on the IRB Assistant Referee Panel. Jim Yuille is also an IRB TMO Panel member.
MAGNERS LEAGUE GRAND FINAL – MATCH OFFICIAL APPOINTMENTS:
Saturday, May 29 –
LEINSTER v OSPREYS, the RDS, 6.30pm (live Setanta Sports Ireland/S4C)
Referee: Chris White (England)
Assistant Referees: Andy Macpherson, David Changleng (both Scotland)
4th Official: Leo Colgan (Ireland); 5th Official: Dermot Moloney (Ireland)
Television Match Official: Jim Yuille (Scotland)