Alan Lewis is a former Ireland international, albeit not in the sport he now referees but in his other sporting love of cricket, and is actually his country’s most-capped player after making 122 appearances between 1984 and 1997.
The 39-year-old, who scored more than 3000 runs and took over 50 wickets after following his father Ian into the Ireland team, had played rugby and started refereeing in 1989 before going down that road when injury ended his cricket career in 1997.
Lewis progressed quickly after that, making his Test debut on September 18 1998 with Australia’s 66-20 defeat of Fiji in Sydney, and then appearing as a touch judge at Rugby World Cup 1999, where his first game was Fiji against Namibia in Béziers.
A member of the Leinster Branch of Referees, just like his compatriots Alain Rolland and Donal Courtney, Lewis went on to control his first Six Nations clash in March 2001 with France against Wales in Paris.
Lewis, who has now taken charge of more than 10 Tests, combines his refereeing with his role as managing director of an insurance brokerage, having been involved in the industry all his working life.