Ireland's John Lacey to referee Six Nations opener

IRISH REFEREE JOHN Lacey will be the man in the middle for the opening game of the 2014 Six Nations between Wales and Italy in Cardiff.

The former Munster fullback’s name was part of the IRB Match Official Selection Committee’s announcement for the tournament this afternoon, following a “detailed” review of refereeing performances during the November Test match window.

Ireland’s first game, against Scotland in Dublin, will see South African Craig Joubert taking charge, with Jaco Peyper of the SARU and Mike Fraser of the NZR acting as his assistant referees. Carlo Damasco of Italy will be the television match official [TMO] on the day.

Joe Schmidt’s men then host Wales on the 8th of February, with Wayne Barnes of the RFU appointed to call the refereeing shots. Glen Jackson of the NZR and JP Doyle of the RFU will run the touchlines, with Graham Hughes of the RFU serving as the TMO.

Joubert will referee Ireland’s first away game against England at Twickenham, with Romain Poite of the FFR and Leighton Hodges of the WRU his assistants. Jim Yuille of the SRU will be making the TMO decisions for that encounter.

Back in Dublin on the 8th of March, Welshman Nigel Owens will be on the whistle as Italy visit. Pascal Guazere of the FFR and Greg Garner of the RFU have been appointed as the assistant referees for that fixture, with Geoff Warren, also of the RFU, on TMO duties.

Finally, the ARU’s Steve Walsh will referee the closing game of the tournament between France and Ireland in Paris on the 15th of March. Barnes and Marius Mitrea of the FIR are down to assist Walsh, while Gareth Simmonds of the WRU is penned in as the TMO.

Schmidt will now begin his analysis of those referees in the hope of gaining an advantage on the pitch by the time the Six Nations rolls around. Preparation is everything.

To view the full list of match official appointments for the 2014 Six Nations, follow this link.

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