Rugby Canada has announced nine new members of its Hall of Fame, which this year includes two match officials.
Referees Joyce Henry (pic on left) and Ian Hyde-Lay (right of pic) are named alongside former players Eddie Evans, Ed Fairhurst, John Hutchinson, Barbara Mervin & DTH van der Merwe, and two rugby community builders, Colette McAuley and Rick Powers on the new list.
The Rugby Canada Hall of Fame was established in 2016 to honour and preserve rugby’s culture and heritage in Canada by recognizing the extraordinary achievements of rugby participants throughout our country.
“This year’s class of inductees to the Rugby Canada Hall of Fame showcases nine outstanding women and men who have brought honour and fame, on and off the field, to the history of rugby in Canada,” said Mike Luke, Chair Rugby Canada’s Hall of Fame Project Team. “Their skills as former international rugby players and match officials, administrators and leaders in the game, have made significant contributions to Canada’s place in the rugby world.”
Previous match officials inducted into the Rugby Canada Hall of Fame include Sherry Trumbull (2023), George Gadjovich (2022), Julie Foster (2018) and Robert Spray (2016).
Ian Hyde-Lay
Ian had a distinguished career, as both a player and a match official in rugby, but also in basketball as a coach. He served on Rugby Canada’s National Refereeing Panel for 11 years, from 1993 to 2003, and was widely regarded as one of the country’s preeminent referees during that time. Hyde-Lay officiated 17 test matches between 1995 and 2000, as well as games involving the Australian and British Barbarians. Notably, he was a member of the referee panel at the 1999 Rugby World Cup, an assistant referee on two occasions in the 2000 Six Nations competition and served as an assistant referee in an additional 18 test matches. Hyde-Lay was involved in two Sevens Rugby World Cups (1997 and 2001) and participated in the 1998 Commonwealth Games sevens tournament.
Prior to his refereeing career, Hyde-Lay earned three international caps as a player and represented Canada at the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 in New Zealand.
Joyce Henry
As a National Referee Panel from 2004 to 2012, Joyce made a significant impact in the Canadian rugby community as a match official. Over the course of her career, she officiated 16 test matches, including two Rugby World Cups in 2006 and 2010.
At the 2006 Women’s Rugby World Cup, Joyce was one of only eight female referees on the panel. She officiated in the Women’s Six Nations in 2011 and 2012, the Nations Cup in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and the FIRA (now Rugby Europe) Championships in 2010.
Notably, Joyce became one of the first women to referee a men’s international match, taking charge of the Bermuda vs. Bahamas test match at the 2011 NACRA (now RAN) Championship.
In addition to her 15s officiating, Joyce represented Canada at several other international sevens tournaments. This included being the first woman to referee the NAWIRA Men’s Championship Sevens Final, officiating world university and IRB (now World Rugby) Sevens in the US, Italy, China, Spain, and most notably, being one of four women referees selected for the 2009 Sevens Rugby World Cup.
Her accomplishments culminated in her selection as a member of World Rugby’s inaugural Women’s Referee Panel in 2010.
Be the first to comment