Dubes for Iberian derby
Herve Dubes, a Top 14 referee in France, heads west to Lisbon for the Iberian derby between Portugal and Spain on Saturday, the opening round of the European Nations Cup.
For Spain it is an important match, as they come back into the ENC after a spell in Division 2 after their relegation. For Portugal it is an important match, in itself and in their preparations for their World Cup qualifying round with Uruguay. Spain will be hurting after losing 47-0 to France Amateur. Portugal will be growing in confidence after twice beating Morocco. There will be an enthusiastic crowd at the university ground in Lisbon. And afterwards there will be much generous fun. It has all the makings of a grand occasion for Herve.
Herve is from the heartland of French rugby, the southwest. He was born in the rugby town of Dax on 25 August 1966, studied at Bordeaux University and now lives with his wife, son and daughter in Blanquefort, a town in the wine-rich Medoc, not far from Bordeaux. He is a man of the southwest all right.
He is not a greenhorn when it comes to refereeing. He was only 20 when, because of serious injury, he gave up playing loose forward and started refereeing, joining the Cote d'Argent Society. He has worked his way up, becoming a Top 14 referee in 2003, one of the top 21 referees in France. He has refereed 10 Tests, the first being Moldavia against Poland in FIRA's competitions. He has refereed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy, Romania, Moldavia, Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, Israel, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Morocco, Spain and Portugal. Being a referee is a passport, it seems for the air conditioning sales engineer.
That is a lot of international experience but ask him for his highlights and they are mostly in France - the final of the First Division of Federale 1, club rugby just below the professional level, the final in Cote d'Argent and his very first Top 14 match. It was not all chauvinism though, for he took great delight in refereeing the last European Sevens final in Moscow between Russia and Portugal.
Herve will not being going off to Lisbon alone. He will have as touch judges the Provencal chemist Didier Mene, a vastly experienced Test referee, and the Basque Vincent Azoulay, also a Top 14 referee. Mene's company is especially important to Dubes, for when he was asked who in particular helped him in his career he said Didier Mene. In fact the three of them have travelled together before. Last year the three were in Prague when the Czech Republic played the Waratahs. On that occasion Mene was the referee. They have been the "Team of Three" in Heineken Cup matches as well.
What does Herve hope to get out of refereeing? "To meet and exchange with several countries about our mutual passion - the rugby game."