Former Scrum Half Murphy To Referee First PRO12 Game

Three referees will take charge of their first games in the GUINNESS PRO12 this weekend with two of them creating a small piece of Championship history.

On Friday night, Welsh official Craig Evans will hold the whistle at Kingspan Stadium where Ulster host Zebre. The following day, Scottish official Mike Adamson will then become the first ever former PRO12 player to referee a game in the Championship when he takes charge of Munster v Benetton Treviso at Thomond Park.

24 hours later, IRFU match official Frank Murphy will become the second former PRO12 player turned referee when he oversees the clash between the Newport Gwent Dragons and Edinburgh at Rodney Parade. All three men have gone through the PRO12 referees pathway.

Commenting on Murphy’s promotion and also Sean Gallagher’s appointment for Friday’s Scarlets v Leinster clash, IRFU Referee Performance Manager David McHugh said: “This is very good news for Irish refereeing and in particular for Frank, being a reflection of the hard work that he has put into his refereeing since starting two seasons ago.

“I’d like to congratulate Sean Gallagher too on his appointment to the Scarlets-Leinster match in round 9 of the PRO12. This is Sean’s second PRO12 game and is another indication of his continuing development.”

FRANK MURPHY – PROFILE:
 
– Will become the second former PRO12 player to referee a game having appeared in his 94th and final PRO12 fixture in May 2014, which capped a career spanning a decade with Munster and Connacht. He also had a spell with Leicester Tigers in the Premiership

– Refereed Germany v Portugal Test match in the second tier Six Nations last February, and took charge of Wales v Italy in the Under-20 Six Nations the following month

– Officiated at seven games in the British & Irish Cup over the last two seasons

– Represented Ireland at Under-21 level and at ‘A’ level in the Churchill Cup

– Appeared for Ireland senior team in an uncapped game against the Barbarians at Gloucester in 2008

– Spent two seasons with Leicester Tigers, appearing in three finals with them in April/May 2007, scoring a try in their Premiership final victory over Gloucester, playing in the Heineken Cup final defeat to Wasps a week later, also in Tigers team that won the Anglo-Welsh Cup against the Ospreys at Twickenham