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Andrew Brace has been reassigned for action at next week’s Heineken Champions Cup after receiving a torrent of abuse on social media.
The 32-year-old was supposed to be the middle man for the meeting on Sunday of the week between the Toulouse and Exeter bosses.
Instead, he will take over the Wasps game with Montpellier on Friday of the week, with Mike Adamson taking the game in France.
Brace was abused online for his trade in last Sunday’s Fall Nations Cup final clash between England and France.
In the run-up to a match-leveling attempt by Luke Cowan-Dickie, Brace missed what appeared to be a blow from England’s Billy Vunipola.
England won the match thanks to an Owen Farrell penalty.
The abuse directed at the referee even went as far as labeling the Limerick-based Cardiff native in response to an obituary he had posted for his late father.
An official from the European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) said they made the decision to reassign Brace out of France next week for their own benefit.
“The EPCR and the selection committee regard Andrew Brace as a highly talented match official,” they said, and with his well-being and development as a referee in the foreground, this course of action was deemed appropriate in the circumstances. “
The EPCR added: “The Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup match official selection committee, chaired by Joel Jutge, EPCR chief match official, decided that due to the personal nature of some of the criticism directed at Andrew Brace after last weekend’s Fall Nations Cup game between England and France, it was prudent this time to make the naming changes. “
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