Debney is thrown in at the deep end

European Cup Referee appointments:English referee Rob Debney has been appointed to referee Munster's crunch Heineken Cup game away to Clermont Auvergne next Sunday. The inexperienced official has thus far overseen only one Heineken European Cup match to date, the Dragons' 35-33 win away to Treviso in round three.

By contrast, Munster's final pool game at home to Wasps will be refereed by the vastly experienced Welsh official Nigel Owens. For their part, Leinster's game at home to Toulouse next Saturday at the RDS will be refereed by England's Wayne Barnes, who famously incurred the wrath of many New Zealand rugby supporters after overseeing France's dramatic World Cup quarter-final victory over the All Blacks while Christophe Berdos of France will be in charge of their concluding pool game away to Leicester.

Ireland's Alan Lewis is scheduled to become the first referee to take charge of 50 European Cup matches when he controls the Round Six clash between Glasgow Warriors and Saracens at Firhill on Friday, January 18th, having also been appointed to referee his 49th European Cup match when the Ospreys and Gloucester Rugby clash at the Liberty Stadium in Round Five on Saturday, January 12th.

European Cup (all times local)

Round Five

Friday, January 11th - Pool Two: Ulster v Bourgoin, 7.30pm, James Jones (W). Pool Three: Stade Français v Bristol, 9pm, George Clancy (I); Cardiff v Harlequins, 8pm, Romain Poite (F). Saturday, January 12th - Pool One: London Irish v N-G Dragons, 1.30pm, Peter Allan (S); Perpignan v Treviso, 6.30pm, Tim Hayes (W). Pool Two: Ospreys v Gloucester, 5.30pm, Allan Lewis (I). Pool Four: Saracens v Biarritz, 3.30pm, Nigel Owens (W); Viadana v Glasgow, 2.30pm, Jerome Garces (F). Pool Six: Leinster v Toulouse, 1.30pm, Wayne Barnes (E); Edinburgh v Leicester, 3.30pm, Peter Fitzgibbon (I). Sunday, January 13th - Pool Five: Clermont v Munster, 4pm, Rob Debney (E); Wasps v Llanelli, 1pm, Christophe Berdos (F).

Round Six

Friday, January 18th - Pool Four: Biarritz v Viadana, 9pm, Andrew Small (E); Glasgow v Saracens, 8pm, Alan Lewis (I). Saturday, January 19th - Pool One: N-G Dragons v Perpignan, 1pm, Chris White (E); Treviso v London Irish, 2.30pm, Pascal Gauzere (F). Pool Five: Munster v Wasps, 5.35pm, Nigel Owens (W); Llanelli v Clermont, 5.35pm, George Clancy (I). Pool Six: Toulouse v Edinburgh, 4.30pm, David Pearson (E); Leicester v Leinster, 3.30pm, Christophe Berdos (F). Sunday, January 20th - Pool Two: Gloucester v Ulster, 1pm, Romain Poite (F); Bourgoin v Ospreys, 2pm, Wayne Barnes (E). Pool Three: Bristol v Cardiff, 3pm, Alain Rolland (I); Harlequins v Stade Français, 3pm, Tim Hayes (W).

Challenge Cup

Round Five

Sunday, January 13th - Pool Three: Cetransa El Salvador v Connacht, 12.30pm, Greg Garner (E).

Round Six

Friday, January 18th - Pool Three: Connacht v Brive, 6.30pm, Peter Allan (S).