Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals match officials announced as both games feature landmark selections
Champions Cup final referee Nika Amashukeli alongside assistant Andrea Piardi, and Challenge Cup final referee Hollie Davidson.
European Professional Club Rugby have announced the refereeing appointments for the Investec Champions Cup and Challenge Cup finals next weekend.
Northampton Saints will take on Bordeaux-Begles in the showpiece event on May 24, and it will be officiated by Georgian Nika Amashukeli.
It is the first time Amashukeli will take charge of the Champions Cup final, and the first time it will be refereed by someone from outside the traditional powerhouses.
Landmark appointments
Match officials from Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France, England and South Africa have all been handed the responsibility, but this appointment will be a landmark occasion for the sport in Europe.
As will the Challenge Cup final a day earlier with Hollie Davidson becoming the first female to referee an EPCR final.
“I’m delighted to congratulate Hollie and Nika on their appointments as referees for the EPCR Challenge Cup and Investec Champions Cup Finals, and extend that congratulations to their teams of four,” EPCR chairman Dominic McKay said.
“EPCR maintains world-class standards with our Match Officials, selected by Tony Spreadbury and the union selectors, and I’d like to extend my thanks to Tony and his team for their work over the whole season to ensure every EPCR match is managed professionally and to an exceptional standard.”
Amashukeli will be supported by fellow experienced Test referees in Italian Andrea Piardi and Irishman Andrew Brace, who are the assistants, while Marius Jonker is the television match official.
Two of those countries are also represented in the Challenge Cup showpiece event with Italy’s Gianluca Gnecchi and Ireland’s Eoghan Cross running the touchline. TMO Mike Adamson completes the officiating teams.
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Route to the final
Bath and Lyon will kick-off a huge weekend in Cardiff when they go head-to-head at the Principality Stadium on Friday, May 23.
The West Country outfit secured their passage into the final with a 39-24 triumph over Edinburgh in the Scottish capital, while the Top 14 side defeated fellow countrymen, Racing 92, 29-15.
A day later and there will be another Anglo-French affair as surprise finalists Northampton Saints and Bordeaux-Begles face-off in the Champions Cup.
Many expected Leinster and Toulouse to qualify and for there to be a repeat of the 2024 showpiece, but Northampton and Bordeaux upset the odds.
The Saints stunned Leinster with a 37-34 victory at the Aviva Stadium before UBB proved too strong for the defending champions, winning 35-18.
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Champions Cup final
Bordeaux Begles v Northampton Saints
Date: Saturday, May 24
Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-off: 14:45 BST (13:45 GMT)
Referee: Nike Amashukeli (Georgia)
Assistant Referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
Challenge Cup final
Bath v Lyon
Date: Friday, May 23
Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Kick-off: 20:00 BST (19:00 GMT)
Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Assistant Referees: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy), Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
TMO: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
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