Referees: Champions Cup

European Professional Club starts again on Friday, 7 December with Round 3 and continues a week later with Round 4 in both the Heineken Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup.

Yet again, the match officials for these matches will be Europe’s best. Amongst them, for the second time, will be Joy Stephenson of Ireland who will be refereeing a Challenge Cup match. In 2016 she was World Rugby’s Referee of the Year

Heineken Cup

Round 3

Edinburgh vs Newcastle Falcons
Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)
Assistant referees: Andrea Piardi (Italy), Matteo Liperini (Italy)
Television match official: Stefano Pennè (Italy)

Scarlets vs Ulster
Referee: Alexandre Ruiz (France)
Assistant referees: Ludovic Cayre (France), Cédric Marchat (France)
Television match official: Éric Briquet-Campin (France)

Exeter Chiefs vs Gloucester
Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (France)
Assistant referees: Maxime Chalon (France), Jean-Luc Rebollal (France)
Television match official: Éric Gauzins (France)

Lyon vs Glasgow Warriors
Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
Assistant referees: Greg Macdonald (England), Wayne Falla (England)
Television match official: Geoff Warren (England)

Bath vs Leinster
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant referees: Pierre Brousset (France), Vincent Blasco Baqué (France)
Television match official: Philippe Bonhoure (France)

Toulon vs Montpellier
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant referees: Andrew Jackson (England), Simon McConnell (England)
Television match official: Rowan Kitt (England)

Wasps vs Toulouse
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Nigel Correll (Ireland), Barrie O’Connell (Ireland)
Television match official: Olly Hodges (Ireland)

Munster vs Castres
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistant referees: Tom Foley (England), Paul Dix (England)
Television match official: David Grashoff (England)

Saracens vs Cardiff Blues
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant referees: Cyril Lafon (France), Stéphane Boyer (France)
Television match official: Denis Grenouillet (France)

Racing vs Leicester Tigers
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Sean Gallagher (Ireland), Jonny Erskine (Ireland)
Television match official: Simon McDowell (Ireland)

Round 4

Gloucester vs Exeter Chiefs
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant referees: Vincent Blasco Baqué (France), Cédric Marchat (France)
Television match official: Denis Grenouillet (France)

Ulster vs Scarlets
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant referees: JP Doyle (England), Karl Dickson (England)
Television match official: Graham Hughes (England)

Glasgow Warriors vs Lyon
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Gwyn Morris (Wales), Aled Evans (Wales)
Television match official: Geoff Warren (England)

Cardiff Blues vs Saracens
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant referees: Ludovic Cayre (France), Jonathan Dufort (France)
Television match official: Philippe Bonhoure (France)

Toulouse vs Wasps
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Dan Jones (Wales), Wayne Davies (Wales)
Television match official: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

Castres vs Munster
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees: Matthew Carley (England), Paul Dix (England)
Television match official: Rowan Kitt (England)

Leinster vs Bath
Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (France)
Assistant referees: Maxime Chalon (France), Jean-Luc Rebollal (France)
Television match official: Éric Gauzins (France)

Leicester Tigers vs Racing 92
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Stuart Gaffikin (Ireland), Paul Haycock (Ireland)
Television match official: Olly Hodges (Ireland)

Montpellier vs Toulon
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant referees: tba, Mark Patton (Ireland)
Television match official: Simon McDowell (Ireland)

Newcastle Falcons vs Edinburgh
Referee: Alexandre Ruiz (France)
Assistant referees: Thomas Charabas (France), Luc Ramos (France)
Television match official: Éric Briquet-Campin (France)

Challenge Cup

Round 3

Pau vs Worcester Warriors
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: tba, Ken Imbusch (Ireland)

Grenoble vs Agen
Referee: Vlad Iordachescu (Romania)
Assistant referees: Alexandru Ionescu (Romania), Madalin Girbau (Romania)
Television match official: Patrick Dellac (France)

Enisei-STM vs Zebre
Referee: Ian Tempest (England)
Assistant referees: Adam Leal (England), Hamish Smales (England)

Timisoara Saracens vs Clermont Auvergne
Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
Assistant referees: Mike English (Wales), Andrew Davies (Wales)

Benetton vs Harlequins
Referee: Dan Jones (Wales)
Assistant referees: Elgan Williams (Wales), Rhys Jones (Wales)
Television match official: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

Northampton Saints vs Dragons
Referee: Thomas Charabas (France)
Assistant referees: Tual Trainini (France), Arnaud Blondel (France)

Connacht vs Perpignan
Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant referees: Christophe Ridley (England), Matthew O’Grady (England)

Ospreys vs Stade Français
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys (England)
Assistant referees: Dean Richards (England), Roy Maybank (England)

Bristol Bears vs La Rochelle
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Gwyn Morris (Wales), Aled Evans (Wales)

Bordeaux-Bègles vs Sale Sharks
Referee: Ian Davies (Wales)
Assistant referees: Wayne Davies (Wales), Dewi Phillips (Wales)
Television match official: Sean Brickell (Wales)

Round 4

Agen vs Grenoble
Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
Assistant referees: Mike English (Wales), Rhys Jones (Wales)

Perpignan vs Connacht
Referee: Ian Tempest (England)
Assistant referees: Adam Leal (England), Anthony Woodthorpe (England)

Stade Français vs Ospreys
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Sam Grove-White (Scotland), Dave Sutherland (Scotland)

Timisoara Saracens vs Northampton Saints
Referee: Joy Neville (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Jonny Erskine (Ireland), Richard Kerr (Ireland)

Clermont vs Dragons
Referee: Tom Foley (England)
Assistant referees: Craig Maxwell-Keys (England), Simon Harding (England)
Television match official: Trevor Fisher (England)

Harlequins vs Benetton
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
Assistant referees: Adrien Descottes (France), Flavien Hourquet (France)
Television match official: Patrick Dellac (France)

Zebre vs Enisei-STM
Referee: Ben Blain (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Finlay Brown (Scotland), Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Television match official: Neil Paterson (Scotland)

Worcester Warriors vs Pau
Referee: Ian Davies (Wales)
Assistant referees: Elgan Williams (Wales), Simon Rees (Wales)

Sale Sharks vs Bordeaux-Bègles
Referee: Sean Gallagher (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Kieran Barry (Ireland), Chris Busby (Ireland)

La Rochelle vs Bristol Bears
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Eddie Hogan O’Connell (Ireland), Oisin Quinn (Ireland)
Television match official: Leo Colgan (Ireland)