World Cup 7s - The final

It's great knowing that you've been part of a "first", in whatever field.

And the fact I was part of the first women's world cup 7s final is something special. I ran the line for Gabriel Lee (Hong Kong) and it was a cracking game.

Played between New Zealand and Australia, and going into extra time - first score to win, was a thriller. The whole build-up and the match were great adverts for the sport and, following the conclusion of the men's final (a Welsh victory over Argentina) everyone is buzzing and enjoying the feeling that our work is done.

And so it was time for a shower and clean-up, before plenty of beers in the changing room, where iRB chairman Bernard Lapasset and vice-chairman Bill Beaumont joined in. It was nice of them to come in and congratulate all the officials.

As for the rest of the evening - it was spent celebrating!

A great tournament, great people, great game. Bring on the Olympics!

World Cup 7s semi-final

Refereeing the Women's World Cups 7s semi-final between the USA and New Zealand has to have been the quickest 14 minutes of my life.

I can honestly say that I can't remember much of the first half at all. What I do remember is the pre-match build up - something I have never experienced before.

It starts after the last game, when the tournament DJ plays music over the tannoy and whoops the crowd up, all 35,000 of them. The atmosphere is amazing as people enjoy the rugby, the beer, the sun - occasion.
You look out of the tunnel at the pitch, the crowd, the people managing the sideline and then the floor manager (linked up to the live television broadcast) wonders up from the pitch and tells you "two minutes".
The teams come out of the holding rooms (small rooms by the tunnel) and line up, while I look around at my colleagues wondering what the hell I'm about to do. I can't keep still and am like a cat on a hot tin roof. But nerves must not get the better of me.

I then get the signal that we've one minute, and it's then the USA team sing their National Anthem at the top of the voices. The New Zealanders opt for the usual shouting that most teams do, while I get a few pats on the back from other referees with calls of "don't cock it up Daniels!"

That really made me smile and was just what I needed - I was going to enjoy this, whatever happened.

"30 seconds" rings out and my two assistant referees wish me luck, before the floor manager (now standing pitch side) waves his hands about like a film director, counting down "5, 4, 3, 2, 1..."
And then we're off - the teams run out on the pitch, followed by me, the TJs and the in-goal judges. We run past the TV cameraman (I chose not to wear any lip gloss for my debut) and out to the middle. I take a moment to look around the stadium, take a deep breath and soak up the atmosphere, before turning to find the floor manager with his famous red clip board held aloft.
When he drops the clip board you're good to go, and before I know it he does. Kick-off!

And before I know it it's half-time. I honestly cannot recollect any of the first half. It's a close game that is eventually settled with conversions, finishing 14-10 to the Kiwis.

Both teams were class acts, but what really made it for me was the first person to shake my hand after the final whistle was the USA coach. That meant a lot.

So there it was - game over and a World Cup semi-final in the bag.

World Cup 7s - Day Seven

Another early start and trip to the stadium is greeted with anticipation, but today's matches hold a new meaning.

It's knockout time and anyone who has been fortunate enough to be involved in something like this will tell you how the atmosphere and tempo goes up several notches.

The appointments for today are made on a progressive basis, but my first port of call is a debrief from yesterday with iRB assessor, Tappe Henning (South Africa).
Fortunately the debrief goes well and is very positive. Of course there are always a few things to work on, but the overall report is good. Now it's time to cross the fingers ahead of the next round of appointments.

In our meeting on Wednesday we were all told that the best 7s referees get the following right in this order; breakdown, scrum, advantage, game management.

Thankfully it appears I did a reasonable job in heeding this advice, so I can only hope that I get a shout at a Cup quarter-final.

And I do! On pitch two I referee USA v France in the Women's Cup quarter-final. All four female officials are given a quarter-final, but the shock result sees England knocked out by Australia, while Wales men dump the New Zealanders out and England too make an early exit.

That's one of the beauties of this tournament - anyone on any day can cause an upset. It's also great for the Olympic bid to get 7s in the Games as the IOC are also here.

My quarter-final goes well, and so does the others, but it's only now that I realise what's at stake here.
While sat with Hong Kong referee (and room-mate) Gabby Lee watching the men's competition on pitch one, Paddy O'Brien comes over to give us the news of future appointments.
"Daniels, you've had a fantastic tournament - you're on the New Zealand v USA Cup semi."
This is music to my ears - I'm to referee a World Cup semi-final on the main pitch!

Paddy then tells Gabby that she had the best quarter-final and will be refereeing the Women's World Cup final! This is fantastic news - as he then explains that I will be TJing, along side Joyce Henry of Canada, with two female in-goal judges! An all-woman team on the final is a huge step forward and I'm thrilled that my room-mate has got the gig she deserves.

Sure, I'm disappointed that I didn't get the call, but that's life - that's sport. I allow myself five minutes to ponder on it, but it's vital that I accept and move on.

If I don't, all the hard work I've put in leading up to this will be wasted if I don't put in my best performance in the semi and then support Gabby in the final as a TJ. The bigger picture here is worth every second and we will be part of refereeing history.

Roll on the semi-finals!!!

World Cup 7s - Day Six

It feels a bit like Christmas Day when you're six - awake at 6am and unable to go back to sleep in anticipation of the day ahead.

An early breakfast sees an electric atmosphere in the restaurant as everyone in the officials' team is excited ahead of the first full day of rugby.
The team itself amounts to around 40+ people, including referees, assistant referees (or TJs), in-goal referees, match observers, sideline managers, citing officers, judicial officers and official liaison officers. And they're all headed up by the iRB's head of refereeing - Paddy O'Brien and 7s referee manager Keith Lawrence.

The ground is a 45-minute minibus trip away, but it flies by and we're soon arriving at the stadium. Security is tight and although we have our own entry point, we still have to walk through metal detectors and put our bags through an X-ray machine.
This tournament is also the first one I've been to where you have to wear your accreditation at all time. At every entry point and door, security guards insist on seeing accreditation - it's a good feeling knowing that security is being taken very seriously.

At the ground, the women referees change in a separate changing room which is some five minutes walk away from the men's changing room, located right by the tunnel to the main pitch.
As our room, although very clean, is tiny in comparison, a takeover is planned and so we march forth once changed and set-up camp in our own corner of the men's room. Mission accomplished.
It's three times the size of ours anyway, so there's plenty of room, despite the fact there are at least 20 already utilising it!

The games eventually kick-off and everyone is buzzing - it's a great feeling, but my kick-off time can't come soon enough.
My first match is Russia v Japan on pitch one, which means thousands will be in the stadium watching, I'm going live on TV and both teams will not understand I word I say. But it goes well and I'm just thrilled to have game number one under my belt.

My second match was on pitch two, Australia v Netherlands, which went well and my third game was back on pitch one - Canada v Brazil.

All three games go well and the feedback from the match observers is good. When not refereeing, I have also ran touch, which provides a great opportunity to see the other teams in action.

Eventually, at gone 8pm, the games are all finished and, after a quick shower and change, it's back to the hotel in the knowledge that I still have another full day's rugby at this wonderful event to look forward to.

www.rwcsevens.com

World Cup 7s - Day Five

At last - the day had arrived, the start of the World Cup 7s.

The team meeting at 8am has been canceled so that people can enjoy a lie-in - bliss!
Breakfast is followed by a walk around the marina with a few others and then coffee - a time-killing exercise before a 2pm pick-up for the trip to the ground.

There are two game pitches at the tournament, and the first games kick-off at 5pm. But before that we have yet another run-through and the official team photo on the main pitch.

Eventually my turn arrives as touch judge one (or assistant referee if you want to be PC) for the Argentina v Uruguay men's pool match. This appointment was a pleasant surprise as I wasn't expecting to be involved in the men's side of the competition.
The fact the iRB have appointed women to officiate on the line in the men's game is a huge step forward, sure to impress the watching Olympic Games blazers!

And the game passes without incident - not the best match, but I'm just pleased to have been a part of it.

In fact the whole afternoon and evening passes without controversy, so the officials team eventually board the bus at 9.45pm happy in the knowledge the first day has gone reasonably well.

And now I can't wait for my turn in the middle tomorrow... roll on Friday.

World Cup 7s - Day Four

A 6.30am alarm call is not greeted well - I do not do mornings, but a yet another meeting at the teams' hotel at 8am means an early start for the officials team.

The morning is taken up with a referees' meeting to clarify protocol, etc, before a 45-minute journey to the ground for a run-through and familiarisation exercise. Everything goes well and a quick game of touch rugby on the pitch gives everyone the chance to stretch their legs.

The facilities here are amazing. The stadium was purpose-built for the Dubai 7s, but they've added a lot of extra facilities for the World Cup. The work behind the scenes is simply mindblowing, and now the team is here everyone is just keen to get started.

The afternoon provides some welcome relief from rugby, with a 4x4 desert safari organised.
Now I'm not one for fairground rides (a carousel is as adventurous as I get) so my stomach takes a pasting as they throw the jeeps up and down, over and side by side - but it's well worth it and gives everyone the chance to free their minds from the tournament for a few hours.

The trip finishes at 9pm, so by the time we arrive back at the hotel, everyone is well and truly beat.

My head hits the pillow and the next thing I know it's 8am on Thursday - never underestimate the value of a good night's sleep!

World Cup 7s - Day Three

This morning's meeting was rocked by the news of the attack on the Sri Lankian cricket team in Pakistan.
One of the local touch judges here works for the International Cricket Board and he took a call from Chris Broad literally minutes after the attack, when Chris and the rest of those who were in the minibus were held up in a stadium.
The guy was, understandably, very shaken after the call, but came back into the room to explain what had just happened and that he had to go.
To say the room fell silent would be an understatement. People didn't know what to say or do, but we were all soon reassured that, despite the enormousness of the event we were involved in, the security intelligence was second to none and we were not to worry about any possible terrorist threat to the World Cup.

Business resumed after a quiet morning and lunch with a trip to the ground (about 45 minutes from the city) were I refereed a warm-up game between Japan and Australia. It was good to get a workout and it beats pounding the pavements or the monotony of the gym.

It was the first time I'd seen the purpose-built stadium and it was very impressive. And it was also very hot, but it was very beneficial to get the lungs pumping and get acclimatised to the heat.

A quite evening was spent watching DVDs and drinking tea - a very British way to round of a bizarre day as Wednesday was to start with a 6.30am start!!

World Cups 7s - Day Two

OK, so who was the bright spark who scheduled daily 8am meetings?

Pretty much everyone in the meeting room looks like they've not slept for a week, although some (those with 7s experience from the World 7s Series) cannot blame jetlag - and it has to be said it's the full-time referees who appear to have led astray by Mr Stella Artois. I have no sympathy!

So while some go back to bed, the four women officials decided to do what we do best - go shopping. A brief whizz around the Mall of the Emirates (who wants to spend time in a mall anyway) and it's off to the markets.

The gold and spice souks are an eye-opener for any visitor, although after 10 minutes I am sick to death of young men asking me if I want to buy a "handbag, sunglasses or pashmina lady?"

According to these robotic street sellers, these goods are all "genuine Gucci and Prada" - sure, but there's more fun to be had bartering with the older shop keepers over some unrecognisable sweet-smelling powder that I'm sure customs will be interested in when I arrive back. (And for the record, it's ground cinnamon).

Anyway - shopping trip over and it's off to the Atlantis Hotel (on the Palm Jameriah) where the teams are based for the duration of the tournament for a managers' meeting.

The meeting is led by Paddy O'Brien and Keith Lawrence of the iRB and it follows the usual format of what is and what is not expected/tolerated on the pitch, with lots of protocol thrown in for good measure.

But the highlight for me was when the English team coach pointed out how much other teams time-waste while taking conversions, before Keith then introduced a slide detailing the worst offenders, and there are no prizes for guessing who topped the list!

A swift bus-trip back to the hotel is followed by dinner and then crashing out in front of the largest flatscreen TV I've seen. And it's night night from me...

World Cup 7s - Day One

Well I'm finally here - a seven-hour plane journey after an 6.30am alarm call on Sunday morning and it's touchdown in Dubai.

As it was night when we arrived, there were two other officials and the entire Irish 7s team on my flight (to be sure), there wasn't that much to see, but the first thing noted on the drive to the hotel from the airport was the amount of construction going on.

And the hotel, for all it's five-star glory (including apartments bigger than my house) is surrounded by building work, but the location more than makes up for it - overlooking Dubai Marina and the Palm Jameriah (Google it if you're unfamiliar).

Dubai is a new city and now's not the place for a history lesson, but everywhere you look, they're building something - and you get the feeling hat whatever it is, it will be bigger and better than the last thing they built.

On arrival at the hotel, the lobby is jammed with officials, etc, checking in, so there's a multitude of new and old faces to say hi to, before a quick shower and adjournment to the bar.

And it's a brief adjournment at that - welcome to Dubai and it's bar prices!