“It’s huge,” the Pontypool-born 33-year-old said of the honour of officiating the clash between La Rochelle and Toulouse at Twickenham Stadium.

“I’ve been involved in different roles over the years, working with colleagues who have done many finals, and you only have to look at the list of the people and the referees who have done Heineken Cup finals – there’s not many people who have done them.

“So, to join that list is pretty special and, as referees, we all want to do the biggest and best games out there if possible. So, when you are put into a match and selected for the final, it feels very, very good.

“The European Cup is a very special competition. It’s the highest level of rugby that we can obtain in Europe and we all know that every time we take to the pitch for a Champions Cup game, we have to perform and there are no excuses for not doing so.

“Having been in the job a little while now, you know the expectation that is on you to perform, and that’s even more so in a final between the top two teams in the competition.

“So, a lot of effort goes into putting yourself in the frame to be selected for a final, but the most important part then is performing in the final and making sure that when you come off the pitch, the referee is hopefully being spoken about very little and they’re all talking about what a good game [it was] and how well the two teams played in that match.”

Although Pearce enters the record books because of his age, he doesn’t feel that way, having been a professional referee in England for 11 years.

“Even though the statement is that I’m the youngest ref, it feels like I’ve been around a lot longer and I’m sure some of the teams will say the same!”

However, Pearce, who grew up in Exeter, recognises that refereeing is no longer a one-man game, as the man in the middle needs assistance at times from the two assistant referees and the TMO.

“You need that team around you, because when really big moments happen, and complicated moments do happen, you need to know that you’ve got the support around you to get the best possible, and most understandable, decision,” he pointed out.

“Working with Wayne Barnes, Matthew Carley, and Tom Foley this weekend, we know each other inside out. I live 20 miles from Tom, so we travel together regularly. I’ve been running touch for Wayne since 11 years ago, and Matthew and I have been refereeing together for a long time as well.

“So, knowing that I’ll have their support before we leave the tunnel to go onto the pitch, in the heat of the battle during the match, but also afterwards as well, it’s pretty unique.

“We make sure that we enjoy it, because we do a lot of travel, we do a lot of games to get to this moment, and it’s making sure that we don’t underestimate how important it is for our careers to be part of this game on Saturday.”

Luke Pearce makes history on Saturday when he becomes the youngest person to referee the Heineken Champions Cup final and he fully acknowledges the importance of the occasion.