Ireland get familiar face to officiate

Rugby World Cup: Quarter-final officials: South African referee Jonathan Kaplan will preside over Ireland's World Cup quarter-final clash in the Telstra Stadium Melbourne on Sunday.

It will be the second time that Kaplan has refereed Eddie O'Sullivan's team in the tournament, having taken charge of Ireland's opening game of the pool stages against Romania.

Kaplan is no stranger to officiating Irish games and his appointment won't cause O'Sullivan undue concern. It is the fifth straight match in which Ireland have had a Southern Hemisphere referee. The South African official, who celebrates his 37th birthday on Friday, is regarded as one of the top officials in the game.

According to his official biography, Kaplan has always known that he wanted to be a rugby referee. He reportedly announced as much to his head teacher, and provincial referee, Mike Kessel while still at primary school. That dream became a reality in 1984 when, at the age of 17 and still a student at King David Linksfield High School in Johannesburg, Kaplan took his first tentative steps as a referee with the Transvaal Referees Society.

Kaplan went on to make his Test debut on May 4th, 1996 in Namibia's 19-18 defeat of Zimbabwe in Harare. A touch judge at the Rugby World Cup in 1999, Kaplan controlled the first Six Nations match between Italy and Scotland in February 2000 as well as the Grand Slam decider between Ireland and England at Lansdowne Road earlier this year.

Kaplan, whose brothers Gary and David both played first division rugby in South Africa, also took charge of the second Test between Australia and the British and Irish Lions in Melbourne in 2001. He holds a bachelor of social sciences degree, having majored in economics and psychology, and a postgraduate degree in marketing management.

Meanwhile, Ireland's Alain Rolland will take charge of England's quarter-final against Wales at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.

The Dublin-based mortgage broker, who played for Ireland and Leinster, refereed his first Test match only two years ago.

Rolland was in the middle for three World Cup pool games - France versus Fiji, Georgia against Samoa and Canada's appointment with Tonga. His touch-judges next weekend will be Irish colleague David McHugh and French official Joel Jutge.

New Zealand's Steve Walsh, meanwhile, is back in the World Cup picture following his one-match suspension.

Walsh was involved in a post-match altercation with England fitness adviser Dave Reddin after the Six Nations champions beat Samoa in Melbourne last month.

A misconduct complaint against Reddin was dismissed, but Walsh collected a one-game punishment for what World Cup chiefs termed "inappropriate behaviour".

Walsh will be the man in the middle for Scotland's quarter-final against world champions Australia in Brisbane on Saturday.

England's Tony Spreadbury has been awarded the plum tie - New Zealand versus South Africa - in Melbourne on Saturday.

West Country-based Spreadbury, 41, has taken charge of more than 20 Tests - and his first international was a 1990 clash between Australia and France.

SOUTH AFRICA V NEW ZEALAND (Melbourne, Saturday) - Referee: Tony Spreadbury (England); Touch-judges: Peter Marshall and Andrew Cole (both Australia).

AUSTRALIA V SCOTLAND (Brisbane, Sunday) - Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand); Touch-judges: Paddy O'Brien (New Zealand) and Andre Watson (South Africa).

FRANCE V IRELAND (Melbourne, Sunday) - Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa); Touch-judges: Chris White (England) and Nigel Williams (Wales).

ENGLAND V WALES (Brisbane, Sunday) - Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland); Touch-judges: David McHugh (Ireland) and Joel Jutge (France).