Ref O’Reilly ready for game of her life

Just three years after taking up the whistle, Irish referee Helen O’Reilly has made it onto the biggest stage — the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Tomorrow night she’ll oversee the hosts’ opening game in Paris against Wales, a game that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports at 9pm.

At 39, the former Ashbourne RFC (Meath) and St Mary’s RFC (Dublin) player is just one of two female referees in the northern hemisphere to have been selected to officiate in France following a thorough performance assessment by IRB officials during her Six Nations campaign this year.