Heineken Champions Cup Referees for Rounds 5 & 6

Europe's Championship will end its league fixtures in January 2019, Rounds 5 and 6. After this there come the tense knock-out rounds. Qualification for the quarterfinals is at stake in these matches.

Rounds 5 and 6 are decisive, no match more so than the one in Dublin between Leinster and Toulouse. Toulouse are unbeaten in Pool 1 but Leinster are just two log points behind them. 31-year-old, Wales-born Luke Pearce is the man in the middle for that match in his seventh year of refereeing Heineken Cup matches.

The whole of Pool 2 is on a knife edge as Munster top the pool with Minster on 12 points leading Castres on nine and Exeter and Gloucester with eight each. That is a tough pool.

Pool 3 is between Saracens (18 points) and Glasgow warriors (14). Pool 4 is between Racing (19) and Ulster (15) while three of Pool 5 could qualify - Edinburgh, Montpellier and Newcastle Falcons.

It should bring out the best in players and referees.

Fixtures and Referees

Round 5

12 January 2019

Gloucester vs Munster

Referee: Romain Poite (France)

Montpellier vs Newcastle Falcons

Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)

Leinster vs Toulouse

Referee: Luke Pearce (England)

Bath vs Wasps

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

Ulster vs Racing 92

Referee: Matthew Carley (England)

Scarlets vs Leicester Tigers

Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)

Toulon vs Edinburgh

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)

13 January 2019

Exeter Chiefs vs Castres Olympique

Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)

Lyon vs Saracens

Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)

Glasgow Warriors vs Cardiff Blues

Referee: JP Doyle (England)

Round 6

18 January 2019

Newcastle Falcons vs Toulon

Referee: Dan Jones (Wales)

Edinburgh vs Montpellier

Referee: Matthew Carley (England)

19 January 2019

Saracens vs Glasgow Warriors

Referee: Pascal Gaüzère (France)

Cardiff Blues vs Lyon

Referee: Karl Dickson (England)

Racing 92 vs Scarlets

Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)

Leicester Tigers vs Ulster

Referee: Alexandre Ruiz (France)

Castres Olympique vs Gloucester

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

Munster vs Exeter Chiefs

Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)

20 January 2019

Toulouse vs Bath

Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)

Wasps vs Leinster

Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)