Poite to ref 2012 French Final

Thirty-six-year-old Romain Poite has been appointed to referee the final of the Top 14 at Stade de France between Toulouse and Toulon on Saturday evening. It is his first final.

Poite, a full-time professional referee, has refereed at two World Cups as well as in the Six Nations. He has also refereed the Heineken Cup Final. He is the No.1 referee in France.

Poite was born in Rochefort on 14 September 1975

Match officials for the Top 14 Final on 9 June (2012):

Referee: Romain Poite

Assistant Referees: Christophe Berdos, Cyril Lafon

4 & 5: Salem Attalah, Pascal Ubeda

Television match official: Daniel Gillet

Referees in French Finals:

The first referee in a final of the French Championat was Pierre de Coubertin, Baron Fredy, the founder of the modern Olympic Games who made it possible for rugby to be included amongst Olympic sports. He was the man who learnt all he could about sport and the spirit of sport from Rugby School. He was 29 when he refereed the final.

Thomas Ryan, who refereed the second final, was a New Zealander who played for New Zealand on their tour to Australia in 1884. Before that he played for New Zealand against Wellington and goes down in history as the first player playing for New Zealand to kick a conversion and a dropped goal. When he refereed the French Final he was studying art in Paris. He later returned to New Zealand, had a launch on Lake Taupo and was a well-known yachtsman. His nickname was Darby.

Basil Wood was a Welshman with a business at Le Havre where he died in 1937.

Billy Williams was the man who found the famous cabbage patch that became Twickenham. He persuaded the RFU to buy the market garden, which is why Twickenham is sometimes referred to as Billy Williams's cabbage patch. The 10 and a quarter acres cost £5 572 12s 6d. He later became the vice-president of the RFU and died in 1951 at the age of 91. He was a good cricketer playing for Middlesex and the MCC. He refereed the 1904 final and in 1905 he was the centre of controversy when he penalised the All Blacks 12 times in the first half against their "rover" for obstruction at scrums.

Cyril Rutherford was born in Sussex and educated at Epsom College. He was twice in the team that won the French Championship, playing for Racing in 1900 and 1902. A businessman in the wool trade, he then became a referee, refereeing the 1905 final and the match between England and France in 1908. He actually played cricket for France. He was at one stage the secretary of the French Rugby Federation and received a Légion d'Honneur. He died in Paris in 1951.

Alan Henry Muhr, whose nickname was Le Sioux, was born in Philadelphia, USA. He served with the American troops in World War II as part of the Red Cross when he was 60, was captured and died in a concentration camp in 1944. He was a Commander of the Légion d'Honneur.

Frank Potter-Irwin, called Potter, was the celebrated referee of his time, refereeing eight Tests between 1909 and 1920, referred to often as the Prince of Referees. He refereed six Varsity matches and was invited to France to referee the final. He died in 1951 at the age of 77.

Jean de Witt was a Frenchman of Dutch descent, a Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur.

In those amateur days refereeing was usually taken up after playing days. So some of the final referees played for France – Muhr, Mar Giacardy who played in eight finals, five times on the winning side, the last time in 1909, Henri Amand who played in nine finals, four times on the winning side for Stade Français and was 94 when he died in 1967, Charles Gondouin who was on the winning Racing side in two finals and was killed in an accident on Christmas Eve in 1947, Octave Lery, a vet who was awarded a Légion d'Honneur, Jacques Müntz, Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur, Joseph Sourgens who was usually called Pierre,

Robert was a croupier in a casino in Biarritz. Gilbert Brutus, a Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur, fought in World War I and was a member of the French resistance in World War II and tortured to death by the Nazis.

Charles Durand refereed his first final in 1950 and his last in 1968. He was for years the autocratic boss of French referees, dying in 2009 at the age of 88.

Albert Ferasse was for many years the president of the French Rugby Federation, one of rugby's most powerful men. He played for Agen in two finals and then refereed one. He was also the president of FIRA and the chairman of the IRB. He was a builder.

Bernard Marie was a politician, at one stage the Mayor of Biarritz.

André Cuny, a medical doctor, refereed just one Test. He was injured during the match and refused to leave the field.

René Hourquet is currently France's refereeing boss. He refereed a second final when Michael Lamoulie,, currently an IRB assessor, was injured and he replaced him, the only time it happened in a final.

Joel Dumé is a referees development officer in France.

Didier Mene was elected to succeed Hourquet as referees' boss in 2009.

Several of the final referees were railway employees – Roger Austry, Jean Callède, Jean-Claude Doulcet, Francis Galonnier, Marcel Heurtin, André Jasmin, Paul Madelmont, and Marcel Vigneaux.

France's Final referees down the years:

1892: Pierre de Coubertin

1893: Thomas Ryan

1894: Georges de Saint-Clair

1895: Eugéne Duchamps

1896: Paul Lejeune

1899: Paul Cartault

1900: Camille Berthommé

1901: Paul Cartault

1902: Basil Wood

1903: Robert Coulom

1904: Billy Williams

1905: Cyril Rutherford

1906: Allan Muhr

1907: Allan Muhr

1908: Frank Irwin-Potter

1909: Jean de Wit

1910: Paul Meyer

1911: Paul Meyer

1912: Marc Giacardy

1913: Henri Amand

1913: Charles Gondouin

1920: Octave Lery

1921: Robert Dussaut

1922: Gilbert Brutus

1923: Gilbert Brutus

1924: Henri Lahitte

1925: Robert Vigne

1926: Marcel Heurtin

1927: Louis Capelle

1928: Marcel Heurtin

1929: André Jasmin

1930: Henri Lahitte

1931: Abel Martin

1932: Jacques Müntz

1933: Abel Martin

1934: Abel Martin

1935: Abel Martin

1936: Paul Faur

1937: Lucien Barbe

1938: Léopold Mailhan

1939: Paul Berges

1943: Jean Rous

1944: Louis Murail

1945: Lucien Barbe

1946: Jean Callède

1947: Maurice Delmas

1948: Paul Faur

1949: Joseph Sourgens

1950: Charles Durand

1951: Jean Rous

1952: Roger Taddei

1953: Marcel Vigneaux

1954: Roger Taddei

1955: Georges Laffitte

1956: Ange Siccardi

1957: Charles Durand

1958: Fernand Sampieri

1959: Albert Ferrasse

1960: Louis Parrot

1961: Bernard Marie

1962: Raymond Gombeaud

1963: Robert Capelle

1964: Robert Calmet

1965: Bernard Marie

1966: Paul Madelmont

1967: Pierre Lebecq

1968: Charles Durand

1969: Roger Austry

1970: Francis Galonnier

1971: Michel Dubernet

1972: Georges Domercq

1973: André Cluny

1974: Francis Palmade

1975: Jacques Saint-Guilhem

1976: Michel Messan

1977: Gilbert Chevrier

1978: Francis Flingou

1979: Francis Palmade

1980: Jacques Saint-Guilhem

1981: Jean-Pierre Bonnet

1982: Christian Garino

1983: René Hourquet

1984: Jean-Claude Yche

1985: Yves Bressy

1986: André Peytavin

1987: Jean-Claude Doulcet

1988: Michel Lamoulie, replaced by René Hourquet

1989: Guy Maurette

1990: Claude Debat

1991: Patrick Robin

1992: Alain Ceccon

1993: Daniel Salles

1994: Marc Desclaux

1995: Daniel Pascal

1996: Patrick Thomas

1997: Daniel Gillet

1998: Joël Dumé

1999: Gérard Borreani

2000: Didier Mene

2001: Gérard Borreani

2002: Didier Mene

2003: Joël Dumé

2004: Joël Jutge

2005: Jean-Christophe Gastou

2006: Didier Mene

2007: Franck Maciello

2008: Eric Darrière

2009: Jean-Pierre Matheu

2010: Christophe Berdos

2011: Patrick Pechambert

2012: Romain Poite