3 May 2006
Chris White will become the first referee to take charge of three Heineken Cup finals when he controls the match between Biarritz Olympique and Munster at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, on Saturday, 20 May (3.00 pm).

The appointments for the Heineken Cup final were announced today (Wednesday, 3 May) by ERC, the tournament organisers.

The 42-year-old former junior school teacher from Cheltenham has the honour of doing back-to-back Heineken Cup finals - he was in the middle at Murrayfield last year when Toulouse beat Stade Francais Paris in extra time - and also refereed the previous all-French final between Toulouse and Perpignan in Dublin in 2003.

White has refereed 36 Heineken Cup games and 35 full internationals - most recently France's Grand Slam clinching win over Wales at the Millennium Stadium in March.

The match officials for the 11th Heineken Cup final will be:
Referee: Chris White (England)
Touch Judges: Dave Pearson, Tony Spreadbury (England)
TMO: Geoff Warren (England)