IRFU blasted for lack of ‘genuine support’ by ex-referee who dumps retirement memento in bin seven months after Mack Hansen outburst
Referee Chris Busby looks at the big screen during a break in last December's Leinster versus Connacht match
A disenchanted Chris Busby has posted a picture of his IRFU retirement memento placed in his rubbish bin on the same day as his exit from professional rugby.
The official announced in January that he would be hanging up his whistle at the end of the season, a development that emerged not long after his performance in the December match between Leinster and Connacht was heavily criticised.
Speaking after Connacht had lost to their Irish rivals in a United Rugby Championship game at Aviva Stadium that was refereed by Busby, international winger Mack Hansen described some of the officiating calls as “bulls***”.
Hansen, who is currently on tour with the British and Irish Lions in Australia, received a three-match ban for his scathing comments. Expressing his regret over “any distress” that his outburst had caused to Busby and his team of match officials, Hansen explained that “my emotions got the better of me”.
“The most difficult period of my professional life…”
The Hansen incident and the furore it caused, though, were described as the tipping point in Busby’s multi-reason retirement decision.
He remained on the books at the IRFU until the end of the 2024/25 season. However, after finishing up in the job, he published a no-holds-barred post on LinkedIn on Tuesday that laid bare the level of his upset with rugby’s governing body in Ireland.
The picture that Chris Busby posted on his LinkedIn account
In the post, accompanied by a picture where the framed leaving memento he received from the IRFU was in this bin, Busby wrote: “Today marks the end of my time with the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU). 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.”
