Kaplan appointed to referee final Lions test

A French, an Australian and a South African will control the All Blacks-Lions rugby tests in June-July.

South African Jonathan Kaplan, who was under fire from both sides after this year's England-Ireland Six-Nations match, will referee the third test in Auckland on July 9.

France's Joel Jutge will take charge of the first test in Christchurch on June 25 and Australian Andrew Cole will referee the second in Wellington on July 2.

The appointments were announced by the International Rugby Board today.

England coach Andy Robinson, who will be part of the Lions' management team, criticised Kaplan after his team's 19-13 Six Nations championship loss in Dublin for disallowing two tries.

His Irish counterpart Eddie O'Sullivan was also critical, claiming that first five-eighth Ronan O'Gara had been obstructed when England scored their only try.

New Zealand's Paddy O'Brien, who announced his retirement from internationals and has been sidelined by an achilles tendon injury, has been removed from the A panel of referees who get test appointments.

He has been replaced in the A panel by Australian Scott Young.

Kelvin Deaker, Steve Walsh and Paul Honiss are New Zealand's referees in the A panel.

Lyndon Bray is the only New Zealand referee in the B panel and Bryce Lawrence the only New Zealander in the C panel.

Welshman Nigel Whitehouse has been appointed to control the All Blacks first test this season -- against Fiji at North Harbour on June 10.

Australian Andrew Cole will be incharge of the South Africa-New Zealand Tri-Nations test in Cape Town on August 6, with Englishman Tony Spreadbury controlling the Australian-New Zealand match in Sydney.

Jutge has been appointed to the New Zealand-South Africa match in Dunedin on August 27 and Chris White the NZ-Australia test in Auckland on September 3.

- NZPA