Top post in Dublin goes to O'Brien

Paddy O'Brien

Leading referee Paddy O'Brien will leave New Zealand to take up a role with the International Rugby Board later this year.

O'Brien recently announced his retirement at the end of the Lions tour and was set to take up a high-performance referees coaching role with the New Zealand Rugby Union.

However, the NZRFU has given the Southland whistleblower its blessing to accept the IRB referees manager position, a Dublin posting he will assume on August 15.

O'Brien will administer the elite world panel of referees and take charge of the appointments at the men's and women's World Cups, IRB sevens tournaments, and under-21 and under-19 world championships.

IRB chief executive Mike Miller was delighted to announce the appointment.

"He's been one of rugby's top referees and will slot in well with the excellent team we have built up here in Dublin and in our six regions over the past few years," Miller said.

O'Brien said in the same IRB statement that he was "very excited" about his new role.

"Rugby has been fantastic to me and I'm looking forward to the new challenge of building on the excellent work that has been done over the last few years, and ensuring ongoing consistency and excellence of performance in our match officials."

A six-times New Zealand referee of the year, O'Brien started officiating rugby in 1982 and controlled his first of a New Zealand record 37 tests in 1994.

He became one of New Zealand's first two professional referees in 1997.

It is unclear whether O'Brien, currently injured, will control any matches on the Lions tour.

The NZRFU have yet to appoint a referee for two mid-week games, against Manawatu on June 28 and Auckland on July 5, to allow O'Brien a chance to recover from injury.

He will be the television match official for the first five matches of the tour.

- NZPA