ALAIN ROLLAND, THE Irish referee who controversially sent off Sam Warburton in Wales’ Rugby World Cup semi-final against France, will not be refereeing any of their upcoming Six Nations games.

Rolland will take charge of France v England, in addition to Italy v Scotland, during the tournament.

Though some people criticised Rolland in the wake of his decision to send off Warburton, the IRB and many others supported the Irishman.

Rolland will, however, likely be required to officiate several of the England players who criticised him for his semi-final performance. Mark Cueto, for instance, at the time tweeted:

“Rolland u’ve had a shocker…. Not the first time either!!! We’re not here to watch u….”

And while Wales have avoided Rolland, France have been paired with Craig Joubert – the South African referee who came under heavy criticism from their camp as a result of his dubious decision-making in the World Cup final.

Joubert will referee their clash with Wales on 17 March.

The full list of appointments for the tournament is:

• 4 Feb 2:30pm France v Italy, Stade de France, N Owens
• 4 Feb 5pm Scotland v England, Murrayfield, G Clancy
• 5 Feb 3pm Ireland v Wales, Aviva Stadium, W Barnes
• 11 Feb 4pm Italy v England, Stadio Olimpico, J Garces
• 11 Feb 8pm France v Ireland, Stade de France, D Pearson
• 12 Feb 3pm Wales v Scotland, Millennium Stadium, R Poite
• 25 Feb 1:30pm Ireland v Italy, Aviva Stadium, C Joubert
• 25 Feb 4pm England v Wales, Twickenham, S Walsh
• 26 Feb 3pm Scotland v France, Murrayfield, W Barnes
• 10 Mar 2:30pm Wales v Italy, Millennium Stadium, G Clancy
• 10 Mar 5pm Ireland v Scotland, Aviva Stadium, C Pollock
• 11 Mar 3pm France v England, Stade de France, A Rolland
• 17 Mar 12:30pm Italy v Scotland, Stadio Olimpico, A Rolland
• 17 Mar 2:45pm Wales v France, Millennium Stadium, C Joubert
• 17 Mar 5pm England v Ireland, Twickenham, N Owens

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