Referee Chris Busby to make Guinness PRO14 debut

The Ulster Society of Rugby Football Referees have reason to celebrate this weekend as Chris Busby makes his Guinness PRO14 debut on Friday night when he will be the man in the middle for the Dragons vs. Zebre Round two clash at Rodney Parade. This is the latest appointment in Busby’s rapid rise to the top levels of the game. Busby was Assistant Referee at the RDS in Dublin last Friday night as Leinster beat the Dragons, before travelling north to Enniskillen on Saturday to referee the Kukri Ulster Rugby Championship Division 1 match between Enniskillen and Clogher Valley. Busby is one of four referees on the IRFU High Performance Development Panel alongside fellow USRFR referee, Peter Martin. Martin will also achieve a significant milestone this weekend as he heads to Thomond Park to perform Assistant Referee duties for the first time in the Munster vs. Edinburgh Guinness PRO14 game. Both referees deserve huge great credit for the way they have worked their way through the USRFR pathway and onto the IRFU National Panel in recent years. Referee Development Manager Richard Kerr commented, “Both Chris and Peter set themselves very high standards and are fine examples to every referee in the Province. They have shown what can be done with a lot of hard work and dedication. It has been over two full seasons now since David Wilkinson was the last USRFR referee in the professional game so it is great to see Chris and Peter coming through our excellent referee pathway. "The USRFR will be holding a new referee course on Saturday 24^th October. This is an exciting time for refereeing in Ulster and Ireland with some significant appointments coming up over the next few weeks. As well as Busby and Martin’s appointments, Andrew Brace will referee the EPCR Challenge Cup Final on Friday 16^th October. The citing commissioner for that game will be USRFR member Tim Lowry, whilst another USRFR member, Peter Ferguson, will act as citing commissioner for the Champions Cup Final the following day. "We have such a dedicated team of referee evaluators, coaches and mentors here in Ulster who help support and develop our referees from our new recruits right up to our senior panel. I would encourage anyone who has any interest in becoming a referee to contact me. There is no better time than the present to get started, and whether you simply wish to give something back to the game or want to go on to referee in the professional game, there is a place for everyone." If interested in attending the new referee course or if you have any questions about refereeing, please contact Richard Kerr (Referee Development Manager): Email: richard.kerr@irfu.ie Tel: 07493868388 Further information can also be found at the following link: https://www.ulsterrugby.com/rugby-in-ulster/rugby-development/referees/