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Owens to take centre stage

Owens to take centre stage

Nigel Owens will take charge of the RaboDirect PRO12 final between Leinster and Glasgow Warriors.

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It will be the second time the Welsh referee has taken charge of the Celtic League showpiece after overseeing the 2011 final where Munster came out on top against provincial rivals Leinster.

Owens, 42, will be assisted by Leighton Hodges and Ian Davies, with Derek Bevan as the television match official to complete an all-Welsh refereeing team.

The appointment will be welcome news for Leinster fans with the Welshman having refereed in some of their biggest triumphs. He was the man in the middle when they won the Heineken Cup in 2009 and 2012, and a year later when they claimed the Amlin Challenge Cup.

They will be hoping for more of the same on Saturday, May 31 at the Royal Dublin Showground when the teams who finished first and second in the league standings go head-to-head for PRO12 glory.

The man from Mynyddcerrig has become one of the most respected referees in world rugby having taken charge of three Heineken Cup finals and two Amlin Challenge Cup finals, as well as holding the record for most international Test matches refereed, with 50.

The Welsh speaker has refereed in the last two World Cups since making his international debut in Ireland’s 44-12 win over Japan in Osaka. He made his World Cup debut in Lyon on September 11, 2007 when Argentina beat Georgia 33-3 in a World Cup pool match at the Stade Gerland.

Owens is the only referee to have ever taken charge of two consecutive Heineken Cup finals. He oversaw Munster’s 2008 triumph when they edged out Toulouse in Cardiff, and then officiated the 2009 Murrayfield showcase when Leinster came out on top against Leicester.

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