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Ireland’s Officials Primed For Rugby World Cup

Television match official Joy Neville, assistant referee Chris Busby, referee Andrew Brace and television match official Brian MacNeice are pictured together, earlier in the year, at the Aviva Stadium ©INPHO/Tom Maher

Andy Brace, Chris Busby, Joy Neville and Brian MacNeice are set for a busy few months as they prepare to represent Ireland at the Rugby World Cup later this year. All four were recently named in the Match Official Panel for tournament in France.

For Brace it will be a second World Cup appearance, he was an Assistant Referee in Japan in 2019 while Busby and MacNeice will experience the World stage for the first time.

For Neville, who refereed the Women’s Rugby World Cup final in 2017, it marks another milestone as the first female official at the Men’s Rugby World Cup.

We hear from all four about the achievement and from Dudley Phillips, IRFU Head of Referees, and John Lacey, IRFU High Performance Referee Coach.