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Poite for the Top 14 Final

Poite refereed his first Final in 2012 when Toulouse beat Toulon. This time the final is between Clermont Auvergne and Toulon.

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It is a huge honour to be appointed to referee the top match in your own country – a Currie Cup Final in South Africa, a Premiership Final in England and the Top 14 Final in France.

The Currie Cup dates back to 1890, the French Championat to 1892. They are competitions of substance.

Romain Poite, who turns 42 in September, is one of rugby most recognisable referees and, obviously, one of the best. His experience tells of his ability. He has been to three Rugby World Cups – as an assistant referee in 2007 and then as a referee in 2011 and 2015. He has refereed in the Six Nations since 2010 and in the Rugby Champions, racking up nearly 50 Tests. He refereed the European Cup Final in 2011.

In June he will be in New Zealand for the British & Irish Lions tour. It is not his first such experience for in 2013 he refereed the third Test in the series in Australia. This year he will form a team for the last six matches of the tour with compatriot Jérôme Garcès, South African Jaco Peyper and TMO George Ayoub of Australia. Again Poite will referee the third Test in the three-Test series.

He started refereeing 1994 and in such a long career there will inevitably be controversy. But France has supported him and the man in charge of French referees, Didier Mene, had no fears that the controversy would adversely affect him, saying that Poite had a strong mind.

He was also the referee in that intriguing match at Twickenham when the Italians bamboozled the English by avoiding rucks at tackles and then exploiting the law that said there was no offside line at a tackle by stationing men amongst the English backs who were waiting in hope of getting the ball. When James Haskell of England asked Poite what they should do, he said: "I cannot say. I am a referee, not a coach."

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In a club match between Ulster and Leicester, Ben Youngs had a tantrum and Poite spoke to the captains, saying: "It's a funny game. I enjoy, and I think you enjoy." And then he told them that the nonsense had to stop.

Romain Poite was born on 14 September 1975 in Rochefort Sur Mer (pop. 25 000) on the Atlantic coast between La Rochelle and Bordeaux.

In 1997 he became a plain-clothed detective in the police force, first in Lyon and then in Toulouse. This lasted till 2007 when he became a full-time rugby referee, contracted to the French Rugby Federation.

Poite is not the only top referee who was a police man. Others include Paddy O'Brien and Colin Hawke of New Zealand, Tappe Henning and Marius Jonker of South Africa, Nigel Whitehouse of Wales and Stuart Dickinson of Australia.

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In 1996 Poite met his future wife, Benedicte and they were married in 2001. Poite says of his Benedicte: "She is a lovely wife and patient." Patience is an essential virtue for top referees' wives, accepting that their husband is often far away and then helping to contain the harsh moments that all top referees experience.

Romain and Benedicte have two daughters – Justine who is 18 and Morgane who is 13.

The family live in Gratens, a small village (pop. about 700) close to Toulouse, which Poite says is "in the countryside and very quiet area".

For Sunday's match at Stade de France, Poite will go up to Paris on Saturday morning with his wife and his father. (The distance is about 590 km, 5½ hours by TGV.)

"Unfortunately, my mother has to look after the youngest who has an important riding competition and the oldest who will have a big exam soon to get into the university."

All referees will want to wish Romain Poite well on Sunday.

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