Alain Rolland
Encyclopedia
Alain Colm Pierre Rolland (born 22 August 1966) is an Irish
rugby union
referee
and former player.
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 provincial caps for Leinster
, and played club rugby for Blackrock College
. He also played 11 times for English club Moseley during the 1996/97 season.
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 Cup
s and was appointed to referee the final of the 2007 Rugby World Cup
.
Rolland, along with fellow Irishman George Clancy
, was selected to a ten man referee panel for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
. In the 2011 World Cup Semi Final between Wales and France, Rolland sent off
Welsh captain Sam Warburton
for a dangerous tip tackle. He was an assistant referee in the final.
Rolland is a member of the Leinster Branch of Referees. His full-time job is as a mortgage broker in Dublin. He speaks fluent French.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
referee
Referee
A referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...
and former player.
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
United States national rugby union team
USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...
in 1995. He won 40 provincial caps for Leinster
Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
, and played club rugby for Blackrock College
Blackrock College RFC
Blackrock College Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club located in Blackrock, Dublin, Ireland. The club was founded in 1882 by former pupils of Blackrock College...
. He also played 11 times for English club Moseley during the 1996/97 season.
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
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
’s Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
.
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 Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
s and was appointed to referee the final of the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
.
Rolland, along with fellow Irishman George Clancy
George Clancy
George Clancy was an Irish nationalist politician and Mayor of Limerick. He was shot dead by the Auxiliary Police in 1921 during the Anglo-Irish conflict . The previous Mayor, Michael O'Callaghan, was murdered on the same night by the same group.Clancy was born at Grange, County Limerick...
, was selected to a ten man referee panel for the 2011 Rugby World Cup
2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
. In the 2011 World Cup Semi Final between Wales and France, Rolland sent off
Ejection (sports)
In sports, an ejection is one of several disqualifying actions assessed to a player or coach by a game official , usually for unsportsmanlike conduct....
Welsh captain Sam Warburton
Sam Warburton
Sam Kennedy-Warburton , commonly known as Sam Warburton, is a Welsh rugby union player. Warburton plays regional rugby for the Cardiff Blues and was first capped for Wales in 2009...
for a dangerous tip tackle. He was an assistant referee in the final.
Rolland is a member of the Leinster Branch of Referees. His full-time job is as a mortgage broker in Dublin. He speaks fluent French.