Scotland v Ireland

The English referee is set to take charge of this weekend's huge Six Nations clash between Scotland and Ireland.

"Not to apologise for my behaviour, because Billy was a little bit rude to me. "I went into Sarries a couple of months ago for a training session. "You're there to be the ref. Of course you're there to not take the s**t if someone is abusive. That is not your personality." Last year, he took charge of Scotland's Six Nations win over Italy. Scotland have plenty of incentive to spoil the party. [Get the latest exclusive stories and breaking rugby headlines sent straight to your inbox for free with our daily newsletter. He also served a similar role for Ireland's first ever victory over New Zealand. I spent the day there - just a couple of scrums, couple of lineouts, a bit of game stuff and I just apologised. He has since rapidly worked his way through the system, taking charge of games in the RFU Championship at the age of 21, before becoming the youngest referee to be promoted to the RFU National panel in 2009. Indeed, Gregor Townsend's men can give their hopes of a first championship title since 1999 a huge shot in the arm with a win.