Chris Busby expresses frustration with IRFU as he retires from refereeing

The 42

2 days ago

IRISH RUGBY REFEREE Chris Busby has expressed his frustration with the IRFU after retiring from professional rugby, claiming he didn't receive enough 'genuine support' from the union's leadership during the most difficult period of his career.
Busby confirmed in late January his intention to step away from the game at the end of the 2024/25 season.
Over a month earlier, on 21 December, the Antrim native had refereed Leinster's 20-12 victory over Connacht at the Aviva Stadium, after which Connacht star Mack Hansen issued a scathing assessment of the officiating, describing some of the calls that went against his side as 'bullshit'.
On 9 January, Ireland star Hansen received a three-match suspension for his remarks and was ordered to apologise to Busby, stating publicly that 'my emotions got the better of me' and expressing his regret over 'any distress' that his outburst had caused to Busby and his team of match officials.
The URC also ordered Hansen to undertake a course that would help him to better understand the difficulties of being a match official.
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Later on the same day as Hansen was sanctioned, The 42′s Murray Kinsella broke the story that Busby was set to retire from refereeing.
It's understood that the Hansen incident and its subsequent fallout was the tipping point rather than the sole cause of the Ulster man's decision, which was multi-factored.
Busby confirmed that report on 30 January but made himself available for selection by the URC until the end of the most recent campaign.
In a LinkedIn post on Tuesday evening, the retiring Busby criticised the IRFU for what he described as a lack of support from his employers during 'the most difficult period of my professional life'. He did not specify the period in question.
Included in the post was a framed photograph placed in a wheelie-bin. Busby said the photograph had been given to him by the IRFU as a keepsake to acknowledge his career.
A statement issued by Busby on LinkedIn on Tuesday.
'Today marks the end of my time with the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU),' Busby wrote, tagging the union in the post.
'I was given a framed photo as a memento to mark the occasion.
'A gesture, I suppose. But what I really needed — and never received from IRFU leadership — was genuine support during the most difficult period of my professional life.
'I'll be sharing more about that in the months ahead. For now, I'm grateful for the people I've met through the game — and looking forward to what's next.'