British and Irish refs for Top 14

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All seven fixtures of Round Nine of the French domestic championship will be refereed by officials from across the English channel.

All seven fixtures of Round Nine of the French domestic championship will be refereed by officials from the other side of the English channel.

In a move aimed at familiarising French clubs with another style of officiating ahead of the opening rounds of European competition, three Irish referees plus one each from England, Wales and Scotland will oversee matches in the Top 14 over the weekend of October 1 and 2.

“They won't be the most well-known referees, but they will all be European Cup referees,” explained Didier Mené, president of the French referees commission.

Irishman Peter Fitzgibbon will be in charge of the weekend's headline fixture between European champions Toulouse and current league leaders Racing-Métro.

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