Set For A Joy-ful Summer

It’s a monumental summer of rugby for the Irish Women’s team, and as the World Cup rolls around to the country for the first time, it’s a former Irish player who will be one of those central to the event.

Speaking to irishrugby.ie, Neville, who goes into the tournament as one of the highest profile and most experienced officials, having become the first ever female official in European competition last October and impressing in the PRO12.

Limerick-born Neville has already won a Six Nations Grand Slam with the Irish side, and has pulled on the jersey 70 times, but is now blazing a trail as a woman in the middle, and is relishing the prospect of officiating at a world cup in her home country.

“I find it extremely exciting, and I suppose I feel a massive sense of achievement. The fact that I’ve played in two World Cups, and now I get to referee in one. I’m extremely excited about it, I’m excited about the challenge,” said the 33-year-old, who works as a Rugby Development Officer at LIT.

“I’m looking forward to being involved in it, but in a different capacity to what I’m used to. But I suppose I’ve had a few years now to get used to going over to the ‘dark side’, so it’s all good!”

“If you’d turned around to me three years ago, and told me that I would have got to where I have got to this day, I wouldn’t have believed you to be honest,” she added, reflecting on a burgeoning refereeing career that began with an Under-15 schools friendly in late 2013.

“Myself and the likes of Helen O’Reilly, who for many years set the pathways for females to officiate in PRO12, and for females on international panels. Hats off to the IRFU, compared to other unions that haven’t really given other female officials half the opportunities that they (the IRFU) have for myself and Helen. It’s an honour.”

Joy will join Sean Gallagher as Ireland’s second official, while O’Reilly comes in as an assistant for the tournament which takes place in Dublin and Belfast from the 9^th to the 26^th August.