Alain Rolland Explained

Alain Rolland
Birth Name:Alain Colm Pierre Rolland
Birth Date:22 August 1966
Birth Place:Dublin, Ireland
Occupation:Mortgage broker
Height:1.72 m
Weight:76kg (168lb)
Ru Position:Scrum half
Years2:1996–1997
Clubs2:Moseley
Apps2:11
Province1:Leinster
Provinceyears1:1989–1996
Provinceapps1:40
Repyears1:1990–1995
Repteam1:Ireland
Repcaps1:3
Reppoints1:0
Coachyears1:1993
Coachteams1:Ireland Women[1]
Refereeyears1:2003–2011
Refereeyears2:2001–2014
Refereecomps1:Rugby World Cup
Refereecomps2:Test Matches

Alain Colm Pierre Rolland (born 22 August 1966) is a former Ireland rugby union international and rugby union referee. He also played for Leinster.[2] He refereed the final of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, and was an assistant referee in the final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In September 2013 he announced his intention to retire from refereeing at the end of the 2013/14 season.[2]

Playing career

During his playing days as a scrum-half, Rolland earned three caps for . He started the match on 27 October 1990 against, and gained further caps as a replacement against in 1994 and the USA in 1995. He won 40 caps for Leinster, and played club rugby for Blackrock College. He also played 11 times for English club Moseley during the 1996/97 season.

Refereeing career

Rolland retired as a player at the start of the professional era and began refereeing, with his first Test appointment coming on 19 September 2001 when beat 81–9 at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

He made his Six Nations refereeing debut six months later, when France beat Scotland 22–10 at Murrayfield, with his first Tri-Nations match following in July 2003, with 's record 52–16 defeat of .

Rolland refereed in the 2003 and 2007 Rugby World Cups and was appointed to referee the final of the 2007 Rugby World Cup.[3] Rolland, along with fellow Irishman George Clancy, was selected to a ten-man referee panel for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. He was an assistant referee in the final.[4]

After the 2011 Rugby World Cup semi-final between Wales & France, Rolland received much criticism for awarding a red card to Welsh captain Sam Warburton in the 19th minute for a tackle which lifted France winger Vincent Clerc off the ground. Wales ultimately lost the semi-final to France, 9–8.[5]

On 22 February 2014, Rolland refereed his last International match as Wales defeated France 27–6 in the 2014 Six Nations Championship at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.[6]

He refereed his last major European contest on 24 May 2014 in the Heineken Cup final at the Millennium Stadium.[7] [8]

Rolland is a member of the Leinster Branch of Referees. In March 2016 Alain was appointed as World Rugby's 'High Performance 15s Match Officials' Manager', having previously worked as a mortgage broker in Dublin.[9]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pioneers celebrate 25th anniversary of first Scotland women's international. theoffsideline.com. 3 March 2018. 14 February 2018.
  2. News: Byrne . Cormac . Irish referee Alain Rolland to retire at the end of the season . independent.ie . 25 September 2013. 29 September 2013.
  3. Web site: Rolland Selected To Referee World Cup Final . 7 October 2007 . 16 October 2011 . Irish Rugby . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120612114903/http://www.irishrugby.ie/news/8440.php . 12 June 2012 .
  4. News: Joubert named World Cup final ref . BBC News . 17 October 2011.
  5. Web site: Rugby World Cup 2011: referee Alain Rolland ruined semi-final with Sam Warburton red, says Warren Gatland. 15 October 2011.
  6. Web site: Dominant Wales show resurgent form against shapeless France. 22 February 2014. The Guardian. 24 February 2014.
  7. Web site: Rolland to ref European final. . 2 May 2014. sport24.co.za. Sport 24. 5 May 2014.
  8. Web site: Heineken Cup final: Toulon v Saracens – as it happened. 24 May 2014. The Guardian. 13 November 2020.
  9. News: All Blacks: Rolland is lucky charm . New Zealand Herald . 17 July 2010 . 17 October 2011.