NIGEL OWENS WILL referee his third Heineken Cup final when he takes charge of the all-Ireland clash between Leinster and Ulster later this month.

The ERC confirmed today that the Welshman, renowned for his uncompromising no-nonsense approach, will be the man in the middle on 19 May in Twickenham.

The French duo of Romain Poite and Jerome Garces have been appointed as the touch judges for the final, where Leinster will be out to claim their third European crown in four seasons.

And their fans will be hoping that history repeats itself, as Owens was a lucky charm when they won their first Heineken Cup in Edinburgh in 2009.

The 40-year-old has officiated at seven of the eight European weekends so far this season, including Leinster’s 23-16 pool win away to Glasgow.

His performances in this season’s RaboDirect Pro12 were recognised last weekend when he was presented with the “Straight Talking” prize at the end of season awards ceremony.

English referee Wayne Barnes will take charge of his first Amlin Challenge Cup final when Biarritz and Toulon meet in Twickenham Stoop on 18 May.

Barnes will be joined by Dave Pearson and JP Doyle as his touch judges.