France-Italy, the last match of Joy Neville, pioneer of women’s refereeing

At 40, the Irishwoman will referee the duel between the Blues and the Transalpines on Sunday, her last rugby match, before taking up a new role at World Rugby.

On the lawn of the Jean-Bouin stadium, a major figure in women’s rugby will bow out. During the last poster of the third day of the Six Nations Tournament, between France and Italy, Sunday April 14, Joy Neville will referee her final match, after a career lasting more than ten years on the whistle.

If women’s refereeing in rugby had a name, it would undoubtedly be hers. During her career, Joy Neville has indeed marked the history of her sport, by signing numerous historic firsts, from which we can draw almost as much as we want. In 2016, she became the first woman in the refereeing trio of a men’s European match, in the Challenge Cup. A little over a year later, she was the one on the whistle for the UBB-Enisei group match, something no referee had done before her. This was followed by a first role as a TMO (video referee) in an international men’s competition, at the Autumn Cup Series 2020, and recognition a few months ago when she was chosen in the team of video referees for the World Cup in France.

A respected and appreciated figure

“Joy Neville was always a person I observed closely, in whom I found enormous potential, who understood and who had a feel for the game”explains Joël Jutge, head of referees at World Rugby, who launched it into men’s competitions while he was “referred manager” at EPCR, the European Rugby Federation. “She represents what a professional referee should be, in her physical preparation and her preparation for matches”appreciates Doriane Domenjo, French international referee who has crossed paths with the Irishwoman several times.

Joy Neville particularly impresses with her physical level and her vision as a former player, which is evident in her way of refereeing. “It gives an understanding of acting, the connection with the actors and actresses, she had all these strong points. We saw a lot of honesty, a desire to be fair”assures Joël Jutge. “She is a referee with whom I really enjoyed talking, who is easy to access”agrees Gaëlle Hermet, who met her during the numerous women’s matches refereed by the Irishwoman, between six Six Nations Tournaments and two World Cups.

An inspiration in women’s rugby

The former player, who was one of the first professional referees, also paved the way for women on the whistle. “I’m sure she was a wonderful driving force for women’s refereeing, that’s obvious. […] It was inspiring to see a girl who moved well, who ran well, who understood the game.”continues Joël Jutge. “I think that for everyone, she remains the first referee known and revealed in the world. She is the pioneer, the one who showed that it was possible”approves Doriane Domenjo, who confides having experienced a “dream” by refereeing for the first time alongside him in 2017.

Joy Neville was more generally a model for the place of women in rugby. “She shared a lot of her experience, she had the vision to develop women’s refereeing, the desire for women’s refereeing to grow”assures Doriane Domenjo. In 2021, for example, she put her career on hiatus to give birth to her son Alfie. “She stopped her career to become a mother, she came back even stronger for the World Cup, that takes a lot of courage”recognizes the French referee.

On Sunday, west of Paris, she will take out her whistle for the last time, before leaving to take up a role as lead coach of match officials at World Rugby. The Blues, who will share these 80 minutes on the pitch, have assured that they want to offer him “the best possible match to pay him a nice tribute”. This “real figure” rugby deserves it.