Dubliner to take charge of showdown

PREMIERSHIP Rugby have announced that this Saturday’s final between Wasps and Exeter will be refereed by JP Doyle.

It will be a second final appearance for the 37-year-old Dubliner, who previously took charge of Northampton’s 24-6 win over Saracens in 2014.

His appointment seemed on the cards last week when Wayne Barnes, who has controlled seven of the last nine Aviva Premiership finals, was handed the Exeter versus Saracens semi-final clash.

Doyle will be assisted by two referees rather than members of the Premiership’s regular touch judge panel, in the form of Matt Carley, who was in charge at the Ricoh Arena last weekend, and Luke Pearce.

Former referee Rowan Kitt will be the TV match official.

Doyle, who was part of the 2015 World Cup and is a regular in the European Champions Cup, has only been the man in the middle at matches involving Wasps once this season, when they beat Bath 24-3 at the Rec.

By contrast, he has seen Exeter three times - their home win over Northampton, defeat at Saracens and win at Worcester.

It has also been revealed that Wasps will also wear their black home strip and use Twickenham’s home changing room.

This is as a result of Dai Young’s team finishing ahead of their final opponents in the league table.

Wasps have an unblemished four-from-four record in Premiership finals since English rugby’s top flight switched into the play-off format in 2002.

However, they have never previously gone into the match having topped the table during the 22-game league season - indeed, only four of the 14 Premiership winners during this time also ‘won’ the league.

The final is played with a supply of ten new Gilbert match balls, which are shared between the two participants in the week preceding the game.

As anyone who has read Jonny Wilkinson’s autobiography will recall, ‘kicking in’ new balls so their flight is consistent is an essential process, and doubtless one which Jimmy Gopperth, Elliot Daly, Joe Simpson and Dan Robson are undertaking.