Categories: Main News Provincial URC

Joy Neville Set To Referee Her Second PRO14 Game

IRFU international referee Joy Neville has been selected to referee her second GUINNESS PRO14 match. The Limerick native will take charge of the Dragons v Zebre fixture at Rodney Parade on Saturday evening.

Joy Neville made history in February of this year when she became the first woman to referee a GUINNESS PRO14 game, heading up the team of match officials at Ulster v Southern Kings in Belfast.

The former Ireland number 8 and captain ended the 2017/18 campaign by refereeing at the Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament, and a busy start to the new season has seen her in Celtic Cup and PRO14 action, with this latest appointment taking her to Newport for her second outing as a referee in the Championship.

Elsewhere this weekend, Chris Busby and Jonny Erskine are the two IRFU referees on duty in the Celtic Cup development competition. Busby takes control of Munster ‘A’ v Dragons ‘A’ at Irish Independent Park with the assistance of Kieran Barry and Chris Harrington on the touchlines.

Erskine will be supported by Ken Imbusch and Daithi Flood as Connacht Eagles host the Ospreys Development team at Buccaneers RFC on Friday night.

In the fourth round of the PRO14, Andrew Brace will have the whistle at Nelson Mandela University Stadium for the Isuzu Southern Kings’ clash with Glasgow Warriors, while Frank Murphy is one of his assistant referees. Their IRFU colleague, Neville, will have touchline support from George Clancy as AR1 when the Dragons host Zebre.

Kieran Barry is AR2 for Connacht v Scarlets at the Sportsground on Saturday, and the aforementioned Busby, fresh from his Celtic Cup appointment in Cork, is down for assistant referee duty when Leinster entertain Edinburgh at the RDS.

IRFU REFEREE APPOINTMENTS – SEPTEMBER 21-22:

Friday, September 21 –

Celtic Cup
Munster ‘A’ v Dragons ‘A’ – Chris Busby (Referee), Kieran Barry (AR1), Chris Harrington (AR2)
Connacht Eagles v Ospreys Development – Jonny Erskine (Referee), Ken Imbusch (AR1), Daithi Flood (AR2)

Saturday, September 22 –

GUINNESS PRO14
Isuzu Southern Kings v Glasgow Warriors – Andrew Brace (Referee), Frank Murphy (AR1)
Dragons v Zebre – Joy Neville (Referee), George Clancy (AR1), Brian MacNeice (TMO)
Connacht v Scarlets – Kieran Barry (AR2), Leo Colgan (TMO)
Leinster v Edinburgh – Chris Busby (AR2), Simon McDowell (TMO)