Irish Referee For IRB U-19 Division B Final

…Peter Fitzgibbon, seen here laying down the law to Cork Constitution prop Mike Ross, is one of 17 referees at the Under-19 Championship in Dubai…

Limerick man Peter Fitzgibbon has been chosen to referee the Division B final between Tonga and Fiji at the IRB U-19 World Championship in Dubai.

The clash between the Islanders takes place at the Dubai Exiles ground at 5.00pm (Irish time) today.

This is a top honour for Fitzgibbon, who is also down to be a touch judge for a Division A decider between New Zealand and Australia tomorrow.

His selection is just reward for some competent performances over the season. Fitzgibbon was also in charge of key New Zealand v Australia pool game earlier in the Championship and his performance was well received by both sides.

He said: “It (the NZ v Australia game) was my TV debut. But the key point was that the game went well. Mixing with referees from other countries and receiving coaching from the IRB referee selectors is an immense experience.

“I’d like to get some Celtic League matches next season and referee professional players on a regular basis.”

This season, Fitzgibbon has taken charge of Divison One matches in the AIB League and also the AIB Cup . He also added some international experience when he took charge of the game between Portugal and Romania in the European Nations Cup.

Looking ahead to the B Final, he added: “Hopefully it will be the players and not the referee who decides the outcome.”

Interested in becoming a referee? Click Here.

Photo courtesy of Sportsfile