who is Joy Neville, the first referee to officiate men’s World Cup matches?

She’s a bit like the Stéphanie Frappart of rugby. Like her football counterpart, Joy Neville will become the first referee in a men’s Rugby World Cup next September and October. She is on the list of seven World Cup video referees, who will be responsible for scrutinizing the images of the matches and checking for potential faults.

>> Rugby World Cup 2023: the XV of France will face Scotland, Fiji and Australia in preparation this summer

At 38, Joy Neville has everything to become a whistle star. The Irishwoman first wet the jersey as a player. Former third line of the Irish team Munster, she also signed 70 selections with the XV of Clover. Joy Neville will even wear the captain’s armband, and will lead Ireland to their first title at the Six Nations Tournament in 2013 by achieving the Grand Slam. With such a pedigree, she continues to shatter the glass ceiling. Her credo, she explains, is to remain human in the field and keep her sense of humor.

Already named referee of the year in 2017

Joy Neville is leading the way for women in officiating. She was already the first to officiate at a Challenge Cup meeting, the small European Cup, in 2016. We have also seen her whistle during Six Nations and women’s meetings, as for the final of the World Cup in 2017, between England and New Zealand. That year, she was named referee of the year by World Rugby, the international federation.

His Irish compatriots are the main rivals of the Blues in the race for the Grail. They won the Six Nations Tournament under the nose of the XV of France, last March. This devastating Clover XV in all areas of the game could well meet the French in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.