Matthew Carley of England is set to officiate the Investec Champions Cup final between Toulouse and Leinster, scheduled to take place at Tottenham Hotspur stadium on the forthcoming Saturday week at 2.45pm. The simultaneous Challenge Cup final between Gloucester and the Sharks, happening on Friday night at the same location, will be overseen by Mathieu Raynal from France.
It’s the inaugural European final for both referees. Already this season, Carley had overseen games featuring both Champions Cup finalists, officiating Leinster’s victory over defending champs La Rochelle, as well as Toulouse’s overpowering of Ulster. During the match, he will be assisted by Karl Dickson from England and Andrea Piardi from Italy, with Englishman Ian Tempest serving as the TMO and Stefano Marrama from Italy acting as the match citing commissioner.
To assist Raynal, Andrew Brace from Ireland and Pierre Brousset from France will be lining up, with Eric Gauzins of France acting as TMO and Ireland’s Ed Kenny serving as the citing commissioner.
Ulster have also announced that nine team members will depart at the season’s conclusion. This list includes Luke Marshall, an Irish international who’s retiring, Billy Burns, heading to Munster, and Will Addison, along with Greg Jones, Angus Curtis, Steven Kitshoff, Dave Ewers, James French, and Shea O’Brien.
In related news, Rory O’Loughlin, the former Leinster and Exeter Chiefs player, has been medically advised to retire following a severe shoulder injury. Despite undergoing an exhaustive rehabilitation process and making an effort to return, medical professionals have advised him to step away from the sport.
At the start of the 2022/23 campaign, 30-year-old O’Loughlin began his association with the Chiefs, racking up a total of 24 appearances during his time there. His initial step into senior rugby was with Leinster, against Benetton in the RDS during 2016, having been educated at St Michael’s College. His Leinster tenure saw him step onto the field 99 times for the province, and he helped secure a Champions Cup in 2018 and four URC titles.
O’Loughlin, who has represented Ireland in both the youth and Sevens categories, earned his solitary senior cap in an encounter with Japan in 2017. Reflecting upon his trajectory in the sport, he acknowledged the recent challenges of adjusting to new circumstances, while expressing gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to two esteemed clubs and to compete alongside high-calibre players, many of whom he counts as close friends.
He voiced his affection for his time at Exeter, despite the hurdles of the present season, praising the warm reception that both he and his family have received. The Sandy Park faithful have left lasting impressions on him and he has formed lifelong friendships while in Exeter. He’s eagerly anticipating his future involvement as an ardent Chiefs supporter. Both Leinster and Rugby Players Ireland have publicly expressed their admiration for O’Loughlin as a well-liked and highly skilled player.
It has also been verified by Munster that academy player Daniel Okeke will be pursuing a fresh challenge next season. Okeke has spent a total of three years in the Munster academy, progressing through Thomond RFC and Ardscoil Rís. Having represented Ireland as an U20 international, Okeke was amongst a dozen players making their senior Munster debuts during the victorious Champions Cup game against Wasps in December 2021.