Nations Cup

Match Day - Canada v USA. Kick-off 6.30pm.

9am - 10am - Breakfast with match observer and two other referees. Had a bit of a lie-in as enjoying relocation to a dorm with air-con. Am still resisting temptation to eat anything other than bowl of cereal. Pat on the back for me.

10am - 11am - Catch up with the news and sport back over via the wonder that is the internet. Drink coffee - freshly ground and brewed - and then go for a walk. Thankfully the humidity has dropped, although it's still quite warm, around 26C.

11am - 12pm - Meet Canadian coaches at their request to discuss a few issues and then walk down to the practice field to do the same with the Americans. All quite straightforward stuff and the usual questions arise around tackle/ruck and scrum. Agree time for kit check and brief.

12pm - 1.30pm - Become restless and find myself clock-watching. 6.30pm kick-offs are a nightmare - too much time to kill and little to occupy it. Drink another coffee, but am careful not to overdo the caffeine and climb the walls.

1.30pm - 2.30pm - Lunchtime. Again, spoilt for choice as there is always two choices for main course and a veggie option. I'm not a veggie, but the stir-fry looked good, so stocked up on that and loaded the plate with salad. I'm going to miss this when I get back to England.
Conscious of need to eat in plenty of time before kick-off, without then becoming hungry 30 minutes before the whistle. Resist another coffee, but opt for iced-tea. Am still not convinced on that one.

2.30pm - 3pm - Pre-match chat with touchjudges. It's normally carried out around an hour before kick-off, but my two TJs are on the game before mine, so we have to chat early as there's no time later. It's all pretty straightforward stuff, but we need to make sure we're singing off the same sheet.

3pm - 4.30pm - Review objectives and outcomes of first game and focus on objectives for this one. It's about now that the nerves kick in and I'm becoming restless. The first game of the day, England v South Africa, kicks off and so after a quick change into my game kit, it's off to the field to watch 30 minutes of the match. The field is less than 100m from my dorm - happy days.

5pm - 6.30pm - Chat with both teams', the usual front row and half-backs brief, and go for a warm up. Thankfully I can warm-up away from the rugby on the soccer pitches at the other side of the college. It's much easier to warm-up away from the hype of the games, although the heat doesn't seem to relent. A quick look at the watch confirms 20 minutes before kick-off, so it's back to the main field and all systems are set for game time.

Seconds out... round four here we come!