Referee Chris Busby confirms he is set to retire

Referee Chris Busby has confirmed that he is will retire "over the next few months".

Busby was the man in charge of Leinster's 20-12 victory over Connacht over Christmas. Afterwards, Mack Hansen blasted the officiating, calling some of the decisions "bull***t".

Hansen was banned for three games for his comments. He was also told to make an apology to Busby and undertake "an appropriate course related to match officiating".

The Ireland international subsequently issued an apology and said that he accepted the findings of the independent disciplinary panel.

In the wake of that incident, it was widely reported that Busby was going to bring an end to his career as a High Performance Referee with the IRFU. He has now confirmed that with a statement on LinkedIn.

"As has been widely reported over the past few weeks, I've decided to hang up the whistle and will be retiring from professional rugby over the next few months," the statement read.

"It’s been a truly amazing journey, allowing me to share the pitch with some of the best players in the world, and taking me to stadiums and places I could barely have dreamed of when I started reffing.

"There are too many people who have supported me to thank individually, but my wife and family have always provided amazing support, and have made so many sacrifices to allow me to travel the world.

"I’ll also always be grateful for the work and friendship of my coaches, David Wilkinson and Johnny Lacey, who somehow managed to take me from reffing 4XV games in Ulster to the middle of some amazing Test Matches and RWC2023 in France!

"Thanks to all the players, coaches, fans, and especially the refereeing community who have made it all possible - through all the highs and lows, I’ve absolutely loved