Pechambert for Top 14 Final
Patrick Pechambert will referee the final of France’s Top 14 between Montpellier and Toulouse at Stade de France this Saturday evening. It will be his first final.
The appointment may be something of a surprise, given the high esteem in which Romain Poite is held.
When his appointment was announced this week, Pechambert was aware of his responsibility in such a famous competition stretching back to 1892 when Pierre de Coubertin of Olympic fame was the referee.
Hearing of his appointment, the 41-year-old Pechambert – who hails from Agen – said: “The responsibility entrusted to me fills me with great pride and much happiness. I obviously had dreamt of something like this, but today it has become a reality.
“I hope to experience an open final with a lot of play from both sides. I know that I must keep careful watch of tackles and scrums so that these two teams can express their full attacking potential.”
Jérôme Garces and Pascal Gauzere will be his assistants on the touch line and Frank Maciello will be the television match official with Sébastien Minery and Stéphane Duberger to regulate the coming and goings as No.4 and No.5.
