RUGBY history was made at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast last night as Joy Neville became the first woman to referee a Pro14 game.
The Limerick native (34) officiated at the clash between Ulster and the Southern Kings - the first time a woman has taken charge of a game in the tournament.
After it was announced earlier this week that she would be the referee, Ms Neville tweeted to say she was "extremely excited about this next opportunity".
She made her PRO14 debut as assistant referee when the Southern Kings played Connacht in Galway last year.
Ms Neville, who won 70 caps for her country and lifted a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2013, has made significant progress as a rugby referee.
She became the first woman to officiate at a European professional club fixture when she refereed at the Challenge Cup clash between Bordeaux-Bègles and Enisei-STM last year.
The former Ireland international also refereed the Women's Rugby World Cup final between New Zealand and England in Belfast last August.
She also became one of the first female referees at a men’s international game, officiating at the clash between Norway and Denmark in October.
Ms Neville was one of seven referees offered professional contracts by the Irish Rugby Football Union in October and her growing success saw named the World Rugby Referee of the Year in November.
