Joy Neville To Referee Women’s Rugby World Cup Final
Ireland’s Joy Neville has been appointed to referee the Women’s Rugby World Cup final between England and New Zealand at Kingspan Stadium on Saturday night (kick-off 7.45pm).
Former Ireland captain Joy Neville has impressed across the tournament with her game management and positive interaction with players on the field. She will be supported by assistant referees Graham Cooper (Australia) and Hollie Davidson (Scotland) for the showpiece game of the tournament.
A Grand Slam winner in 2013, Neville won 70 caps for Ireland in the back row and played at the 2006 and 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cups. She took up refereeing following her retirement from the game.
The Limerick native became the first women to referee an Ulster Bank League Division 1A game last November and has risen through the ranks as part of the officiating teams for the PRO12 and European competitions.
She set down a marker last October when she became the first female assistant referee of a European fixture, running the line for the Bath v Bristol clash in the European Challenge Cup.
David McHugh, IRFU Referee Performance Manager, said: “Joy has proven time and again her ability as a referee. She has an astute rugby brain and great empathy for the players and this combination, coupled with a strong work ethic, has enabled her to continue to reach new heights as a referee. We are incredibly proud of her latest achievement and wish her well for Saturday’s World Cup final.”
Meanwhile, fellow IRFU referee Sean Gallagher will take charge of the 9th-10th place play-off between Italy and Spain at Queen’s University.
On Friday evening at Donnybrook, John Lacey is the man in the middle for the pre-season match between Leinster and Bath, while on Saturday morning, Andrew Brace is an assistant referee for the Rugby Championship fixture between New Zealand and Australia at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.
On Saturday afternoon George Clancy will take charge of the pre-season game between Connacht and Pat Lam’s Bristol at the Sportsground.
IRFU REFEREE APPOINTMENTS – AUGUST 25-26:
Friday, August 25 –
Pre-Season Match
Leinster v Bath – John Lacey (Referee), Jonny Erskine (AR1), Cillian Hogan (AR2)
Saturday, August 26 –
Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017
England v New Zealand – Joy Neville (Referee)
Italy v Spain – Sean Gallagher (Referee)
Rugby Championship
New Zealand v Australia – Andrew Brace (AR2)
Pre-Season Match
Connacht v Bristol – George Clancy (Referee), Leo Colgan (AR1), Brian Deighan (AR2)
Representative Fixture
Leinster Under-18 Clubs v Exiles Under-18s – David Horner (Referee)