Aussie whistleblowers, where are you?

http://bloggers.heavensgame.com/Main/?p=211

An interesting opinion on the apparent decline in officiating down under from Peter Marshall.

For those of you not in the know, the moustached Marshall is an ex-Australian Test referee and was once referee manager for the ARU.

As someone in the know, his thoughts on officiating are interesting and given that the leading light for Australia is now Kiwi bad-boy Steve Walsh, one wonders where the next breed of Aussie whistleblowers will come from.

Some good news this Christmas

Christmas has some early for me and nine other women referees after we learned this week of our appointments to the Women's World Cup next year.

For a match official, like any player, representing your country at a World Cup - whatever the sport - is a career highlight, and so to be told by the IRB that I've made the cut for the match officials' team at next year's event in London is a huge honour.

At the last Women's World Cup in 2006, I was given the official nod just eight weeks before the event, and given that it was in Canada and would mean three weeks out of the country, it was a little hectic to say the least, but this time around we've all been given at least eight months' notice, so there's plenty of time to get things arranged!

I know all the female officials on the list having worked with most of them in Edmonton (2006) and the World Cup 7s, so it will be great to catch up with them again and learn what each other has been up to.

The IRB has also named four male referees and three assistant referees, although they will no doubt appointment more ARs to service all the games (six on each match day), so there will be plenty of opportunity for female officials based in England to be involved in the tournament.

So, there will plenty of festive cheer for those selected and no doubt a few sherries and mince pies will be consumed over the Christmas period to celebrate.

Here's to a return to training on January 2nd!

Referees: Sarah Corrigan (Australia), Clare Daniels (England), Joyce Henry (Canada), Gabby Lee (Hong Kong), Dana Teagarden (USA), Sherry Trumbull (Canada), Nicky Inwood (New Zealand), David Keane (Ireland), Andrew McMenemy (Scotland), Sebastien Minery (France), Javier Mancuso (Argentina).

Assitant referees: Debbie Innes (England), Kerstin Ljungdahl (Germnay), Barbara Guastini (Italy).

Chiefs help to struggling Coventry

http://www.exeterchiefs.co.uk/site/4/News___Events.html?&nv_item=1848


Blimey, in this era of dog-eat-dog professionalism, a snippet of some festive "good will to all men", with Exeter Chiefs extending some support to Coventry RFC.

For those that don't know, Championship side Coventry - one of the oldest rugby clubs in England - have hit on hard times.

They are not the first and won't be the last, but Exeter Chiefs' offer of support goes someway to making me think that maybe, just maybe, there's some integrity left in top-flight rugby.

Referees and players... read this

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/3123766/Richie-McCaws-breakdown-break-down

This is well worth a read if you play the game or referee it - arguably one of the, if not the, best in the business when it comes to the breakdown.

Lord knows most of us have nearly had a breakdown when trying to referee one!

Steve Walsh back on the Super 14 panel

As I've worked with Lynon Bray (Women's World Cup), Garratt Willisamson, Jaco Pepyer and Tappe Henning (7s World Cup), it's good to see these guys making the news for all the right reasons!


SANZAR has announced the team of referees from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to whistle the Investec Bank 2010 Super 14 competition.

Acting SANZAR Referee Manager Lyndon Bray announced a core team of eight Super Rugby referees, and a reserve panel of nine referees who will have the chance to officiate at Super Rugby level as required.

All eight referees in the core ‘merit’ panel have extensive experience at Super Rugby and international level. This team of lead referees includes four international referees from South Africa, three from New Zealand and one from Australia.

“We are very fortunate to have such a strong team of internationally experienced referees – they set a very high standard of performance across all three SANZAR nations,” Bray said.

The selections see a return to Super Rugby for former New Zealand and international referee Steve Walsh after a one-year absence. Walsh, who now referees in Australia, will start in the reserve panel alongside Air New Zealand Cup referees Vinny Munro (New Zealand) and Nathan Pearce (Australia), and six other SANZAR referees.

“It’s great to have this high calibre of referees in the reserve crew and we fully expect that they will be promoted quickly into the senior group of starting referees for Super Rugby.
"Steve Walsh is an experienced international referee and we welcome his experience into the camp. Several referees in the reserve panel, whom have previously refereed Super 14 matches, will have the opportunity to seek promotion to the merit panel, subject to form,” Bray said.

The Super Rugby referees and reserves have been selected for the first time under a new SANZAR selection process.

The new SANZAR Referee Selectors - Colin Hawke (New Zealand), Andrew Cole (Australia) and Tappe Henning (South Africa) - will closely monitor referee performances as part of a promotion/relegation system.

“This performance-based system ensures we are open, transparent and accountable as match officials,” Bray said.

An unusually large number of reserve referees had been named in anticipation that some of them would be promoted quickly into the core group."

The referees selected for 2010 Super Rugby match official duty:
Merit Panel: Jonathan Kaplan, Craig Joubert, Mark Lawrence, Marius Jonker (South Africa)Bryce Lawrence, Chris Pollock, Keith Brown (New Zealand)Stuart Dickinson (Australia).

Reserve Panel: Steve Walsh, Nathan Pearce, Paul Marks, Ian Smith (Australia), Jaco Peyper, Pro Legoete (South Africa), Vinny Munro, Garratt Williamson, Jonathon White (New Zealand).