NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND – Gallagher Premiership Rugby is getting towards the business end of the season and the referees are once again ready to oversee some exciting fixtures.
Wayne Barnes has been given the Friday night shift for Round 19 and he will oversee Leicester Tigers’ tantalising trip to Newcastle Falcons.
Both sides will be desperate for a win given their current League positions and how close we are getting to the end of the season so it’s safe to assume that the players will be fired up for this one.
Helping Barnes will be assistant referees Matthew Carley and Luke Pearce with Rowan Kitt the TMO.
Saturday will then see Carley take charge of the West Country derby at Kingsholm as Gloucester Rugby take on Bath Rugby with assistant referees Hamish Smales and Peter Allan on hand to help with TMO Geoff Warren.
With the race well and truly on the semi-final spots it will be another must-win for both sides and Harlequins will be another side desperate to get in on the act too.
They host Northampton Saints under the watchful eye of Christophe Ridley in the knowledge that they will need a win in order to remain fourth, ahead of the chasing pack. Assistant referees will be Wayne Falla and Simon McConnell with TMO Keith Lewis.
Sale Sharks are part of that chasing pack and will see their match-up against struggling Worcester Warriors at Sixways as an opportunity to keep pace.
Ian Tempest will have the reins with assistant referees Jack Makepeace and Rob Warburton with Graham Hughes helping out with the TMO.
Meanwhile at the top of the table Saracens will be trying to make up some lost ground on Exeter Chiefs.
A nine-point gap has opened up at the top and if Saracens wish to close that they will need to beat Bristol Bears in the last of Saturday’s games. Thomas Foley takes charge of that match-up with assistant referees Anthony Woodthorpe and Paul Dix in tow and David Grashoff the TMO.
And lastly Sunday is reserved for the League-leaders Exeter hosting Wasps. With a semi-final spot already in the bag, some of the pressure will be off, but Exeter will no doubt wish to assert their dominance by finishing top of the table.
Luke Pearce will have the privilege at Sandy Park with assistant referees Adam Leal and Greg Macdonald with TMO David Rose.
Friday 12 April:
Newcastle Falcons v Leicester Tigers (Kingston Park, 7.45pm)
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant Referees: Matthew Carley & Luke Pearce.
TMO: Rowan Kitt.
Saturday 13 April:
Gloucester Rugby v Bath Rugby (Kingsholm, 3pm) Live on BT Sport and Channel 5
Referee: Matthew Carley
Assistant Referees: Hamish Smales & Peter Allan.
TMO: Geoff Warren.
Harlequins v Northampton Saints (Twickenham Stoop, 3pm)
Referee: Christophe Ridley
Assistant Referees: Wayne Falla & Simon McConnell.
TMO: Keith Lewis.
Worcester Warriors v Sale Sharks (Sixways, 3pm)
Referee: Ian Tempest
Assistant Referees: Jack Makepeace & Rob Warburton.
TMO: Graham Hughes.
Bristol Bears v Saracens (Ashton Gate, 5.30pm)
Referee: Thomas Foley
Assistant Referees: Anthony Woodthorpe & Paul Dix.
TMO: David Grashoff.
Sunday 14 April:
Exeter Chiefs v Wasps (Sandy Park, 3pm) Live on BT Sport
Referee: Luke Pearce
Assistant Referees: Adam Leal & Greg Macdonald.
TMO: David Rose.
About Premiership Rugby:
Premiership Rugby is the organisation which manages the top league in English club rugby – Gallagher Premiership Rugby.
It acts for its shareholder clubs in all major commercial and strategic negotiations with media and sponsorship partners of the league, as well as with other rugby governing bodies.
Premiership Rugby is also responsible for key areas of governance of the top flight competitions, including the Salary Cap Framework, Minimum Standards Criteria and Code of Conduct, as well as managing the Gallagher Premiership Rugby competition, Premiership Rugby 7s and the Premiership Rugby Cup, all of which are televised live exclusively by BT Sport.
Partners for the 2018-19 season are: Gallagher, BT Sport, Channel 5, Land Rover, Ricoh, Citizen, Gilbert and The Times.
Premiership Rugby runs more than 90 local and national community rugby programmes. Each season Premiership Rugby and its clubs, working together with our players, coaches and impressive list of private, public and third sector partners, invest over £3.3million in a variety of community programmes under the Play and BreakThru campaigns which aim to grow grassroots participation and tackle core issues.
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