In the Middle

Well said Brian Moore

2010-07-15T04:24:00.000-07:00

On the football World Cup final...

"It is typical of football players to blame Howard Webb, the unfortunate English referee, for their own failings.

"Arjen Robben chose to do so despite missing two clear one-on-one chances. This is cowardly and dishonest, but what of Fifa's response.

"Sepp Blatter, usually keen to criticise anything that takes his fancy, particularly English, could only pathetically respond to the virulent and unjustified criticisms of Webb by saying that he had a "very hard task".

"Is that all he could say? Blatter speciously added: "Football is a school of life because it is based on discipline and respect. It's a combat game but in the spirit of fair play. You have to learn to win and you have to learn to lose, and should not forget the basis which is discipline and respect."

Rubbish. By refusing to condemn and sanction the relevant players and team officials for their on and off-field excesses which resembled spoilt brattish three year-olds, Blatter condones and encourages the same – beautiful, just beautiful.'

Read Brian Moore's article here...

Is the end is sight?

2010-06-16T04:54:00.000-07:00

I was asked this week if my season had actually finished - well, the answer is, no... not quite anyway.

My last 15-a-side game of the regular season was on May 8, and after that there fell a local charity 7s tournament.

And then last weekend I was in the middle of the last in the series of a two-Test pre-Women's World Cup warm-up between hosts Scotland and South Africa, at Lasswade RFC near Edinburgh.

The matches provided an excellent opportunity for both the teams and the match officials to up their preparations ahead of the Women's World Cup in London, which starts on August 20.

Scotland were on the back of an under-performing Six Nations campaign, while the ever-improving South Africans have recently completed a two-Test whitewash of Kazakhstan in Dubai.

But while the Kazaks would have provided some stiff opposition, the true test of just how far the South Africans had progressed would be measured by two battles against the Scots.

In the first game, there was a fair amount of ring-rust on display and, dare I say it, not just by the teams. I took my time to adjust and then set back - a mistake any referee can ill afford to do.

Match report here - courtesy of Scrumqueens

But one thing that was obvious was just how much the visitors had worked on their strength and conditioning, which helped them ease to a 27-8 win over the hosts.

As I was in Edinburgh for the week, with the second game a week after that first, it gave me plenty of time to reflect on what was, by my standards, a very average display in the middle.

Of course, there were the distractions of Edinburgh (the castle, men in kilts, haggis and whisky), but the time to reflect meant that I had no excuse to not put in a much-improved display.

I always knew the second Test would be that much different from the first. For one, the Scots are a proud rugby nation and they were hurting from the first defeat.

And the tension and atmosphere was evident from the moment we as match officials stepped inside the changing rooms at Lasswade RFC.

In the event, despite an improved performance from Scotland, who led 14-7 at the break, the South Africans came out a changed side in the second have and let loose, sealing a comprehensive victory and series win with a 41-17 scoreline.

For me, it was a much better day at the office and I can build on this as we count down to the last eight weeks before World Cup kick-off.

Second match report here

For Scotland, they will be bitterly disappointed to have lost and underperformed as they are capable of so much better - such as their defeat of France in the Six Nations proved.

South Africa on the other had have sent out a very clear message, having won their last five games on the trot (including a win in Canada during last year's Nations Cup).

And so... the answer to the original question -has my season ended yet?

The 15-man game now most definitely has, but there's the small matter of two 7s tournaments and then pre-World Cup build-up in August, not to mention fitness testing on July 28.

Maybe I'll hold off the duty free for a while yet...

English talent spotting!

2010-05-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

Engalnd's Elite Referee Unit has continued its succession planning and appointments programme ahead of the 2010-11 season.
Head of Elite Referee Development Ed Morrison and Elite Rugby Director Rob Andrew have confirmed full-time contracts with JP Doyle and Greg Garner after they successfully completed their two-year trainee programme that has seen both referee in the Guinness Premiership, the IRB Sevens circuit, the Churchill Cup and Pacific Rim tournaments around the world.
Luke Pearce (22) is the latest trainee to be appointed and he will work with Ed and his team of referee development managers, Tony Spreadbury and Brian Campsall, with the aim of further developing his considerable potential and he will start his new role from 1 August 2010.
Two more referees Ian Tempest (22) and Lyr Apgeraint Roberts (33) join the Elite Referee Unit in a part time capacity.
Assistant referees Paul Burton, Nigel Carrick and Rhys Davies have gained promotion into the Elite Referee Unit (ERU) after a rigorous selection process.
Ed Morrison said "One of our objectives within the Elite Referee Unit is to establish a clear development pathway for our young talent and JP and Greg's progress shows that we are delivering tangible results in this area and we aim to continue that with Luke, Ian and Lyr."
Morrison is also delighted with the excellent work being carried out by Steve Leyshon, Steve Savage and Mike Melick within the National Panels. The ERU continue to work closely with Steve Leyshon and his team in identifying officials who they believe have the potential to operate at the very cutting edge of the sport.
Morrison said: "It's vital that we recruit more referees at the elite level of the game to handle not only games in the Guinness Premiership, the LV =Cup and the Heineken Cup but also with a view to giving our officials exposure at the international end of the sport courtesy of the IRB."
Further appointments include Trevor Fisher who will act as a TMO in the Guinness Premiership and Mike Hamlin who joins the ERU as a timekeeper.
The ERU has also expressed its sincere thanks to a number of officials who given exemplary service to the sport over a number of years.
Ed Morrison said "On behalf of everyone involved in officiating at the Elite end of the game and the RFU I'd like to thank Ashley Rowden who has decided to retire from senior refereeing to concentrate 100% on his new role as an assistant referee where his vast knowledge will be of enormous benefit to young officials coming through the ranks. Ashley joined the National Panel of Referees in season 1994-95 and is widely respected throughout the game.
"We'd also like to thank assistant referees Paul Emerson and Bob Mullis who stand down after years of outstanding service to the game. They both joined the ERU in 2001 and their level of personal commitment will always be appreciated."
Elite Rugby Director Rob Andrew said: "Ed and his team have delivered some outstanding results in the development of our young referee talent and JP and Greg are just two examples of them delivering in this important area of the departments' work.
"Like everyone else connected to the Elite Rugby Department I will continue to support Ed, Tony Spreadbury and Brian Campsall with their work with a view to further positive results being achieved in due course."

From the RFU website - read here.

Bitter sweet end to season

2010-05-14T02:59:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the pleasure of refereeing the Devon County Cup final between host club Brixham and Barnstaple, a club who reside one division higher than the "Fishermen".

This was my second Devon Cup final, having been fortunate enough to oversee the 2008 match between Exmouth and Barnstaple, so I knew it would be a day to savour and one that would live long in the memory - Devon know how to stage a cup final.

It was a fantastic event and Brixham did the occasion proud - a thrilling game ensuing and a nail-biter for the crowd, with a drop goal the only score that eventually separated the sides as Barum ran out 28-25 winners.

However, despite the thrilling display of rugby and tremendous effort put in by the players, it was to be one of those matches that will be tinged with sadness.

Mike Browne (pictured above), Brixham's influential number 8, was seriously injured just after kick-off and subsequently replaced, but only two days later was the full shock of what happened actually able to sink in.

Browne was later diagnosed with a broken neck and underwent a 6.5-hour operation at Plymouth's Derrisford Hospital, where two bones in his neck were repaired with the aid of a titanium plate.

Report from thisisdevon

And things got worse for the Browne family when brother Kyle suffered a broken arm later in the match.

I love our sport - the passion, the emotion, the physicality - everything that it has to offer makes rugby union unique, and long may it stay that way.
But sometimes, when things like this happen, for a second you wonder if the risks players' take are ever worth it.

Mike is likely to be unable to work for a very long time and at present it is unknown if he'll play rugby again. As for brother Kyle, in comparison a broken arm is almost a "got off lightly" consequence, but it is not and when people's livelihoods are at stake it is a huge price to pay for the "love of the game".

I never want to have that phone call again - I never want to see a serious injury report form again... but I would be prepared to bet that if the Browne brothers make full and speedy recoveries, they will be doing everything they can to be pulling on the Brixham jersey again.

With the support of their club and their families, I am sure both, especially Mike, will be back at Astley Park before we know it.

I wish them both good luck in their recoveries.

It's a 70-minute game!

2010-04-29T05:35:00.000-07:00

Just when you dare think "ah, the end of the season is nigh" up crops a host of hastily re-arranged appointments and, before you know it, May is already looking busy on the officiating front.

This weekend a AR appointment commands my attentions on Saturday at Evesham, a junior festival in Somerset on Sunday, while the following weekend heralds a County Cup final and 7s tournament the week after.

But this week a call came in at late notice from TW1 to referee the AASE plate final between Filton Academy and St Paul's College at Henely on Wednesday, so after sweet-talking the boss for the day off, it was a 2-hour rush up the M4.

Oh my - but how these boys have grown! Given that Filton feed into Bristol and St Paul's into London Irish, I was expecting two teams of (and how to out this delicately) "well-conditioned" young men, but when the St Paul's captain towered above me at at least 6ft 4, I felt, well, tiny.

And it did seem bizarre in having to enforce under-19 laws in a match played by two excellent teams who would otherwise demolish plenty of senior sides, but how pleased did I feel when, with only 15 minutes played of the second half, the questions of "how much longer ref?" started coming.

How much longer? You lot are *cough splutter* almost half my age - you should have oodles of breath left in you!

Kids these days - bulging biceps and bags of gas, but where's their stamina, eh?

Extracting the urine...

2010-03-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

There have been plenty of things happen on a rugby pitch that have surprised me, incidents where I've been forced into a double take.

Usually it involves foul play; a punch for example, or dangerous tackle, while sometimes a serious injury has unfortunately stopped me in my tracks.

However, something that happened the other weekend resulted in me awarding a penalty for an act "contrary to good sportsmanship" - my get out of jail free card if you like, as - in 9 years - I'd never come across it before, thankfully.

In the second half of the match, during a stoppage in play at a scrum, while the hosts were making a substitution, my glance in the direction of the touchline was averted to a visiting player who, quite brazenly, was answering the call of the nature on the pitch.

Not to the side of the pitch, not discreetly, or even obscured - in full view of everyone and with pretty much everything on display, if you catch my drift.

Being made of thick skin and having fairly broad shoulders, it wasn't with a deal of offence that I awarded a penalty against him (his captain dished out what I couldn't - a smack around the side of his head), but with utter astonishment that he would have so little disregard for his team-mates or even opposition who had to play on said pitch.

And that's not taking into account the fact that children could have been in the near vicinity - they weren't and it was only by chance I'm sure that his bladder cried out on the one area of the pitch where there were few spectators.

On reflection, I should have made the pi**-taker, or giver given what he was doing, a yellow card (an unfortunate colour I know) and made the idiot wash down the area in which he saw fit to relieve himself.

But not that taking a leak on a rugby pitch is anything new. Not a weekend goes by without someone somewhere getting caught short I know, but most of the time the effected party runs to the sideline and does the deed discreetly.

Even All Black Jerry Collins was once caught short before a Bledisoe Cup match, and was forced to pee in a bucket at Jade Stadium.

And of course there was Paula Radcliffe, who famously stopped during the 2005 London Marathon to relieve her bladder at the side of the road.

So, the incident goes down as a first in my book and, hopefully, the last.

Please, let's keep pinky where he belongs and if you really need to take a pee, go find a large bush and feel free not to shake my hand after the match thanks!

Prop talking sense?

2010-03-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

It's one of the most over-analysed area of game from a refereeing perspective.
Couple it with the breakdown and it's the stuff of nightmare for many officials - "Objectives for the match Miss Daniels?" cries the match assessor before kick-off.
"The scrum and the tackle area," cries I in reply.

Most referees, if not all, have been there. Worrying about getting the scrum right from the word go.

You know the pack drill... figure out the dominant pack (if there is one), get the engagement right, manage the hit, get the feed straight, keep the back-row bound, the front row in, the backs 5m back... simple really.

Well, having had a long and refreshingly honest conversation yesterday with a current leading Guinness Premiership prop about the whole episode surrounding the fat boys up front, I'm in the process of penning the conversation into a piece for next week's Bath Chronicle.

Some of what was said really made me think and this particular line made me smile...

"You try doing a squat with 800kg, stand on one leg, cover one of your eyes and then get smacked in the other – half the time I don’t know what’s going on, how do you expect a referee to?

To read the full interview, check out next week's Bath Chronicle online at www.thisisbath.co.uk/sport

Shameless plugging I know, but when the fat lads up front talk sense, maybe we should try and listen.

Zub-zero refereeing

2010-02-20T13:42:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I had the delights of a trip to Blois in France for the women's Six Nations clash between France and Ireland, and it set a new record.

A few years back, my local referees' society, Somerset (pronounced Zummerzet), sent three of us to Glasgow on exchange and never I have been so cold while refereeing.

The rain was horizontal, the wind blowing a gale and the temperature dropped to around 2C. At the end of the game, I was so cold I couldn't write the final score down on a piece of paper and was soaked to the skin so much that I simply turned on the shower in the changing room and, once the water ran warm, stood under it fully clothed.

Last weekend surpassed that - easily. Given the fact that when I woke up on the Thursday (game was being played on Friday evening) the news reported a large snow fall in the south east of the country, I had a feeling that Blois may be a little on the cold side given it's location in France.

And so it proved. Flying in to Paris later that day was pleasant in that it looked picturesque covered in snow, but with temperatures predicted to fall to -3C, the thought that game may not go to ahead crept through my mind.

On Friday, it was biting cold and there was still a smattering of snow, but a call mid-morning confirmed the game would go ahead.

Go ahead it did, and at kick-off it was -7C. Remarkably the pitch was playable, albeit with a sprinkling of snow, but it was bitter and I don't think I have ever wished for a free-flowing, quick, fast-paced game of rugby to ensure we all kept moving.

So, credit to the groundsmen who got the pitch playable and to the players who, like me, were keen to keep the moving and keep warm.

It wasn't a game to be a winger, or an assistant referee for that matter, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable game and indeed occasion.

At least this time I didn't get soaked and managed to undress before I thawed out in the shower.
Saying that, I'm sure the glass of mulled wine waiting for me in the changing room helped.

Not again...

2010-01-31T08:45:00.000-08:00

Just when you thought it was safe to pick up the whistle and get in a run of games following the drought over the last two months, "match postponed" strikes again.

Given that the match I was appointed to this weekend was in Yorkshire (and I live in Somerset), I set off on Friday evening and after three hours drive up the M5 and M42 (through numerous 50mph restrictions and the occasional bottle neck), settled in for the night in a Premier Inn somewhere off the M1.

On the way up, the home club had rung to inform me that a hard frost was forecast overnight and that a pitch inspection was to take place at 9am. If I heard nothing, I was "green for go" and given that it was 10pm and I was, well knackered, I went out like a light.

In the morning, 9am came and went, as did my breakfast, and - with the time fast approaching 11am - it was back in the car for the remaining two hours north.

And then it happened; just before noon the phone rang and the caller bore bad news. The 9am pitch inspection was inconclusive and, with the forecast for sun and a temperature increase, the club held out for another inspection at 11.30am.

You can guess the rest. "Sorry, we're going to have to call the game off".

Not that you can blame the club. They desperately wanted to host the game as they'd lost three already over the the last two months. Lost home games mean lost revenue, something no club can afford in the present climate.

It's gutting to have a game postponed so close to kick-off; referees look forward to matches just as much as players, but for me it meant a three/four hour drive back south.

Since December 12th, I have refereed two league fixtures from seven weekends. I drove to Devon to postpone a match on arrival after the pitch was unfit and had another two fixtures fall foul of the weather.

But, as they say, there's nowt you can do about it - the weather's the weather and to be frank, I'm fed up with this continued cold snap and want things back to normal please.

Bring back the typical wet and windy British weather - bring back some rugby.

Six Nations referees

2010-01-21T03:52:00.000-08:00

This year is undoubtedly a huge one for the women’s game as international teams from across the globe continue their preparations for the World Cup in August.
With the USA and Canada having already done battle in Florida, and the Women’s 6 Nations drawing closer for our top European sides, a much-needed platform has also been provided for female referees as we too look towards the IRB showpiece event in London.
Following the Women’s World Cup in Canada in 2006, the IRB and many host unions helped the progression and development of women referees by opening up more of their Test matches for the appointment of women officials.
If you’re good enough and have proved yourself then why not, and – as with players – it helps the development of the women’s game as a whole as promoting officiating will hopefully encourage more female players to have a go themselves. At present (and I do not have access to any official figures) the percentage of women officials compared to women players is unacceptable and we all have a part to play in turning that around.
But this spring, the Women’s 6 Nations competition will see an unprecedented number of female whistle blowers take charge – five in total – as Sarah Corrigan (Australia), Andrea Ttofa (England), Dana Teagarden (USA), Mhairi Hay (Scotland) and myself have been given the opportunity to oversee games.
Being appointed to a Test match is a huge privilege and one that is greeted with much joy every time you are fortunate to get the call from your Union, so there will plenty of reasons for Andrea and Mhairi to celebrate (OK, so maybe after the game) as their appointments in the 6 Nations mark their full Test debuts.
Australia’s Sarah Corrigan, who refereed the World Cup semi-final between England and Canada in 2006, is currently enjoying the colder climate of the Northern Hemisphere as after a brief trip to Florida for the second USA v Canada Test, the Sydney-based official will be subjected to the colder weather in the UK for two Six Nations tests before she heads back Down Under.
This will be Sarah’s first Six Nations tournament, but it is not the first time a female Southern Hemisphere referee has overseen a game as in 2007, New Zealander Nicky Inwood took charge of the first all-female team of three at Twickenham when England hosted Italy at TW1.
The USA’s Dana Teagarden (presently residing in Germany) has also been appointed to her first Six Nations game, while I am looking forward to the France v Ireland encounter on February 12 that I will oversee. These games are invaluable for those of us fortunate to have been selected for this year’s World Cup as exposure to Test level games is an invaluable tool in the countdown to kick-off on August 20, while for Andrea and Mhairi it will hopefully provide a huge boost as they look to embark on their international careers.
Here’s hoping that 2010 sets records for the women’s game in all aspects, including officiating at the highest level.

Women’s 6 Nations appointments: (Weeks 1-3)
Week One:
Ireland V Italy, Sarah Corrigan (ARU)
England V Wales, David Keane (IRFU)
Scotland V France, Stefano Mancini (FIR)
Week Two:
Wales V Scotland, Sarah Corrigan (ARU)
France V Ireland,
Clare Daniels (RFU)
Italy V England, Mhairi Hay (Scotland)
Week Three:
Wales V France, Dana Teagarden (USA)
Italy V Scotland, Chris Williams (WRU)
England V Ireland, Steffano Marrama (FIR)

Frosty reception for the treadmill

2010-01-07T03:47:00.000-08:00

Right now I'm spoilt for choice about what to write about. There's the new year and all it promises, Saracen's director of rugby Brenan Venter and his "English referees are pants" outburst, the RFU's reaction to Mr Venter's strop, the right and wrongs of Mr Venter's strop or, of course, the weather.

Given that Venter's tirade has been done to death in various media, the weather wins because - as it stands - I last refereed a game of rugby on December 12th.
On the 19th, I hauled by backside south on a 75-mile trip to Devon, only to get there and find the pitch unplayable due to frost, and so I hauled it back to Somerset again.
Then came Christmas and following that a trip to Leeds to watch the Guinness Premiership basement battle against Bath (which the blue, black and whites thankfully won) in sub-zero conditions.

And then there's this weekend - not a chance of any sporting action anywhere, let alone donning my boots and whistle to referee any rugby.

Players' frustrations and not being able to play is equally matched by officials', who look forward to Saturday afternoons as much as anyone else. At this rate, even the weekend of the 16th looks doubtful - just how long will this sporting drought last?

The downside to this predicament is training as there's no chance of a twice-weekly run on the streets and pavements near me (unless of course you want to break your ankle/leg/wrist, etc) and so it means the gym.

The tedium of the treadmill is too much I'm afraid. OK, the weights and resistance stuff in the gym is fine by me - bring it on - but the treadmill? Ooh no, sorry.

I am hoping (maybe too optimistically) that the sports pitches near me at least give enough on top to allow a run around or two, that I can happily cope with.

I am therefore hoping that while the snow is fun for a bit, the damn stuff soon disappears before I really am forced to endure a mind-numbing spurt on the treadmill.

Happy training!

Aussie whistleblowers, where are you?

2009-12-30T03:27:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-20T08:46:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-09T07:18:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-03T06:38:00.001-08:00

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

2009-12-03T06:23:00.000-08:00

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).

Cockerill and his mouth...

2009-11-26T05:36:00.000-08:00

LEICESTER TIGERS Head Coach Richard Cockerill was yesterday suspended for four weeks after pleading guilty to two offences of match official abuse during the LV= Cup match against Newport Gwent Dragons on November 14.

Cockerill is banned from any involvement with the Leicester Tigers team or match officials on game day and from coaching mini, midi and youth rugby on Sundays until December 23.

He was also fined £2,000.

Referee hits 50th Test Landmark

2009-11-13T01:36:00.000-08:00

RFU Elite Referee Chris White will take charge of his 50th test match when Scotland line up against Fiji at Murrayfield this weekend.

In a 14-year international career, Cheltenham born White has officiated at three Rugby World Cup's including taking charge of the New Zealand v Australia semi-final in 2003.

White first picked up a whistle at the tender age of 17 when he wasn't allowed to play on a Saturday due to school trials and in the pub the night before he was persuaded to be the referee for the Cheltenham Saracens 3rd XV fixture the next day.

A centre for Cheltenham Grammar, Cheltenham Saracens, Cheltenham RFC he went on to play at Swansea University after previously representing Gloucester Schools at U16 and U18 levels. His first game as an international official came in November 1995 when Italy hosted South Africa and his test debut as a referee took place two and a half years later when Georgia faced Russia.

White went on to act as touch judge in another 63 test matches and as a referee in three Heineken Cup finals including Munster's win at the Millennium Stadium in 2006, 2 Premiership finals and 1 Tetley's Bitter Cup final. He has currently been in charge of more Premiership matches than any other referee.

White said: "I am looking forward to the game this weekend very much. I'm grateful for the immense support I have received from so many colleagues in so many places and roles over the years.

"I have been very fortunate to have witnessed many wonderful occasions and have been privileged to be on the field with the best players in the world. I am still enjoying all aspects of refereeing and I'm looking forward to the kick off at Murrayfield."

IRB International Referee Manager Paddy O' Brien said: "Chris has been an outstanding contributor to international refereeing over the last 12 years and I would like to congratulate him on his 50th international.

"It is not just what Chris brings to the field of play but just as important is the respect and experience he brings to the international panel that has been a hallmark of a wonderful career. I will be at the match on Saturday and I'm looking forward to another excellent performance."

Pumas make an early appearance at Twickenham

2009-11-06T03:39:00.000-08:00

The Argentine Rugby Union team, the Pumas, are making the most of their time in and around Twickenham Stadium next week.

As they prepare for their game against England at the stadium on November 14, the Pumas will be making a personal appearance at the Rugby Store at Twickenham Stadium on November 12 from 2pm-4.30pm.

Rugby fans and Puma supporters are invited to come along, meet the team and get their autographs in the store on the main concourse.

Well known players such as Gonzalo Tiesi, Juan Martin Fenandex Lobbe and Rodrigo Roncero will all be present thanks to their sponsor adidas who have organised the session.

Andy Ward of the RFU said: “It's fantastic that even in a busy Test week, the Pumas are taking some time to meet the fans.

"We are hoping that parents will be able to bring their children on the way home from school to drop in and meet the players who will grace the field on the Saturday. This is a rare opportunity and one we are grateful to Adidas for organising.”

A busy November lies in wait

2009-10-30T03:44:00.000-07:00

I like to be kept busy - it works for me, and on that basis November is looking good both on and off the pitch.
Off the pitch, my rugby-writing colleague at the Bath Chronicle has the small matter of a new addition to the family looming, so I will be kept busy covering Saracens v Bath, Bath v Ospreys, Worcester v Bath and the last home game of the month - Bath v London Irish.
But it such a shame that Steve Meehan's men have had such a poor start to the season, with last weekend's defeat to Newcastle rubbing salt in the wound.

On the pitch, though, November is also full on, starting on the 7th with a game in National Two South, followed by an evening encounter at Esher RFC on Tuesday, November 17th when England A take on New Zealand.
The Black Ferns take on England in three matches, the first - a full Test - at Esher on Saturday, November 14th, the second at Esher and the third - the second Test - at Twickenham on Saturday, November 21st.
And the great news for me is that England women's second test at TW1 is a double-header, as the men take on the All Blacks, with the women kicking-off afterwards at 4.45pm.
Both games are live on Sky and I'm extremely privileged to be appointed as an assistant referee at Twickenham, with the iRB's David Keane (Ireland) in the middle.

Any involvement with a match at the hallowed turf of HQ is an honour, and to be there on international duty when the Martin Johnson's men take on the mighty All Blacks is the stuff dreams are made off.

All we need now is for Bath to start doing the business on the pitch too - and they need to start producing some results quickly if they are to avoid mediocrity this season in the Guinness Premiership.

Motivation is always good

2009-10-16T08:26:00.001-07:00

Without doubt, training is a must for most officials and with players getting fitter, stronger and faster, that inevitably means referees have to increase an up their training too.
If you don't, it's fair to say that progression up the ranks will either slow, or stop. But it helps to have some form of motivation, a goal - some light at the end of the tunnel - always helps provide the impetus to get out there and train.
I am not a gym monkey, although I try to get down there twice a week, but the last thing I want to do is spend time on the treadmills or rowers, etc - they bore me senseless.
So, a couple of seasons ago someone encouraged me to have a go at 5km race that was run locally and not being one to back down from a challenge, I had a go. Shock horror - I actually enjoyed it.
Maybe it was my competitive nature, but running along side 100 or so others sparked something in me, and three years later I have knocked more than one minute of my personal best.
On Wednesday I went round the course in 26 minutes - OK, so not the fastest and I won't win any medals, but to learn that I beat my last time (run last November) by more than a minute really made my week.
My game plan was simple - find someone of a similar pace and sit behind them. And it worked!
While 5km races won't do anything for my speed work, it's the variety in training that I enjoy and setting a new personal best time has now enthused me to do even better in the next race in the Winter Series next month.
Somehow, though, I doubt I'll be knocking chunks off my time like last week.

Simply not acceptable

2009-10-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

Much has been made in the press about events during and after the Coventry v Moseley match last week in the Championship.

For the record, Moseley won this fiercely-fought Midlands derby 25-28, with the referee awarding the visitors three penalty tries, the last deep into injury time.
I was not at the match and have not seen replays of it, but I understand that Coventry missed some kicks at goal and had chances to win the game, but did not.

The furore that has surrounded the game has, unfortunately, delved into the realms of that normally associated with football, in that the behaviour of some people (and I will refrain from calling them fans) after the final whislte was abhorrent. An alleged punch was aimed at the official and beer thrown over him, while a torrent of abuse was shouted as he made his way to the changing room.

Put simply, there is no place for this type of behaviour in our sport - and when the ink has barely dried on the RFU's Core Values statement, credit goes to Coventry RFC in taking swift action to identify the perpatrators and, hopefully, ban him/them for life.

As referees we've all at some time been a "pressure cooker" game, although it's fair to say that most will be a million miles away from the intensity of a Midlands derby in English rugby's tier-two competition.

Regardless, the referee would have gone out there and done his utmost to perform to the best of his abilities, and sometimes when the pressure comes on we all make decisions that - while in the comfort of a sofa with a DVD - we may not have otherwise. That's rugby - played by humans, refereed by humans.

But the press and local media have deemed to jump on the "age" bandwagon, as the referee in question is 21-years-old.
Cries of "he 'ain't old enough" and "what experience has he got?" have echoed around the Midlands for sure, but, like any other referee at the level, he would have gone through endless match assessments, performance reviews, training sessions, etc, to have proved his worth at that level.

Occasionaly the powers that be have to take a punt - fortune favours the brave after all, and I've no doubt the RFU firmly believed in his capabilites and potentional, and I have no doubt they still do.

Ask any referee and they will tell you that you learn more from the hard games than you do the good - and most of it comes down to how we deal with pressure.
The best, the very best, are past masters at it, while the rest of us keep forging away at working out the most effective plan on deflecting it.

Maybe the referee's calls at Coventry were right, maybe they were not - but no referee ever goes out there to make the wrong ones.

I stand by the fact that for someone as young as this referee is to go there and make some huge calls against the home side in a local derby says a lot.
And while the ins and outs of how he dealt with the pressure (rightly or wrongly) will no doubt be analysised by his bosses, I take my hat off to him and hope he bounces back very soon.

And I have no doubt he will.

Time to stop and think

2009-10-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

www.ecclesrfc.org.uk/main.htm

This is sad news - I never knew the guy, never went to Eccles RFC or indeed know anyone from the club, but still...

I am sure everyone in the rugby community will have the thoughts of this man's family and friends in their prayers.

New website for women's rugby

2009-10-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, after many years of hoping, a new website has been launched specifically for the promotion of women's rugby.

While there are plenty of websites dedicated to rugby, and in fairness most of the home unions have a dedicated section on their own sites to their national women's team, a target-specific site has been sadly lacking.

Those looking for information on the top-end of the women's game have been lucky to find the odd snippet buried at the back of some of the major sites.

But fear not anymore, for http://www.scrumqueens.com/ is here. With editor Alison Donnelly at the helm, the site - launched this week - looks very promising and professional.

And I guess a bit of harmless self publication won't do any harm as yours truly is contributing to the site via the medium of the blog.

With the Women's World Cup taking place in London from August next year, an exciting season lays ahead for the sport and I am sure everything you could possibly want to know about international women's rugby will be covered by scrumqueens.

I know Alison has some great interviews and features lined up with coaches/players/administrators and, yes, referees, from the top-end of the game - so it bodes well for the future of the sport on the web.

Take a look and see what you think!

Unconscious on the pitch...

2009-09-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

Two weeks into the new league season and I've two league games under my 2009-10 belt, with, it's fair to say, differing degrees of success in one very important area of the game.

The tackle-to-ruck phase has this season presented a challenge with the new directive from the powers on high (see previous blog).
My first match went reasonably OK in this area and last weekend I ventured "op north" on the Friday evening fairly confident ahead of my game on Saturday.

The Wirrall provided me with a good day at the office when I last visited the area in 2007, but it would be fair to say last weekend my report, if I were at school, would read "must try harder".

I've come to conclusion that if the first 10 minutes of a match go swimmingly, you've hardly had to breath a word and there's yet to be a scrum, then prepare yourself for what is to come...

OK, so that may be a little harsh, but in truth I got caught out in the second quarter and my penalty count (look skyward) reflected inadequate management of the tackle/ruck.
The pressure came on and where as last season I was almost refereeing this phase in the... *warning - management speak alert*... unconscious competence state, last weekend - for 20 minutes anyway - I was consciously incompetent.

But, what was pleasing was the mental and giant kick-up-the-arse I gave myself - with the help of two excellent ARs it must be said - and pulled through to finish off a second half that although by no means perfect, was better than the first.

And so the DVD review, sometimes a tortuous endeavour when it's not gone as well as you would have liked, and putting right the wrongs from last weekend. Self-reflection is something most referees would have spent endless hours doing - and I've done plenty of that since last Saturday.

This weekend sees another trip up the M6 to cover Sale v Bath on Friday and then a game in Gloucester on Saturday - the perfect opportunity to work on the breakdown as, let's face it, no side hailing from Gloucester is going to make life easy for a referee in that department.

Here's hoping Bath win at Edgley Park and I become somewhere nearer to "unconscious competence". Match observers beware...

Hands in - or not?

2009-08-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

Pre-season is over - let battle commence in the leagues, starting with a trip to Berkshire in the renamed National Three south West on Saturday, followed by short jaunt to Wellington on Sunday.

But, is it any wonder that we as officials get more than our fair share of gob from the sidelines when - try as we might to referee to the latest directive from the iRB - even coaches (not all I admit) don't know the latest missives from on high?

Take this weekend, for example. A competitive pre-season trial game between two level 8 clubs.
Before the game (and bear in mind the league season is six days away) I mention to the coaches "are you happy with the latest directive about handling in the ruck post tackle?"

The response was "I thinks so. What was it again?" Now, it's pretty fair to say that the new directive will not be the easiest to interpret at our lowly levels, so you can be sure that when the season starts there will be a few people screaming "hands in ref", when in fact they are oblivious to the iRB's directive.

It would appear a great many coaches, and therefore players, won't have a clue about this latest ruling.

And even on Friday when I had the pleasure of covering Bath v Scarlets in a pre-season friendly at The Rec, the somewhat rather dull cries from the ill-informed rang out about "hands in".

In a nutshell, at the tackle, an arriving player (on his feet) can play the ball with his hands. When a defender makes contact and a ruck is formed, he is still allowed to go for the ball, whereas previously he (and the defence) would have to take their sticky paws off it.

Even on Sunday when refereeing a league club in a charity 7s tournament a player questioned me on this pearl of wisdom: Player - "ref, feeding's allowed in 7s isn't it?" Me - "excuse me, are you kidding?" Player - "No, no I'm not. I'm sure I was told it was OK."

He wasn't joking either. Lord help us all.

Still confused? Visit www.irb.com and see the light.

Is there any wonder?

2009-08-27T02:43:00.000-07:00

Well, is there? All unions are crying out for referees, so when you read that yet another top-flight official has had enough, one can't help but think why?

Why do people act like this? What prompts someone to take such drastic action as to abuse a match official in this way?

The name of our beloved sport has been dragged through the mud recently - eye-gouging, drug scandals, bloodgate - and now this.

Top South African referee resigns

Test referee Willie Roos has resigned from refereeing, prompting Andre Watson, referees' manager of the South African Rugby Union, to call on rugby supporters to return to traditional rugby values of respect towards officials.

Roos retired from refereeing after 15 years of training and experience after he was abused and had a drink flung in his face in Kimberley following an Currie Cup match. Some supporters blamed Roos for Griquas' defeat after they earned two yellow cards in the final ten minutes and succumbed to a late score from the Blue Bulls.
Roos is taking legal action against his assailant in Kimberley.

"Incidents like this and the criticism and abuse that our officials receive both from the stands and from the attendant publicity violates the spirit of rugby," said Watson.
"It takes many years and tens of thousands of rands to bring a referee through the ranks to be able to officiate at Currie Cup level, and to lose one because of the actions of a few hot-headed supporters and ill-informed media comment is desperately wasteful from a rugby point of view and personally very sad for Willie Roos.
"I'd like to thank him and pay tribute to him for the many thousands of hours he has given to the game in usually unglamorous surroundings and at times that have taken him away from his family. We tried to talk him out of his decision, but he told us that 'enough is enough'."

In his letter of resignation Roos said that refereeing had given him many great friends and taken him all over the world, but that his passion for the game had gone.
"I have made mistakes in my career but they were never intentional and I always tried my best. But I fail to understand how the decisions of referees are blamed for winning and losing matches but those of coaches and players are not," read the letter.
"I was taught never to swear at or criticise players or coaches when I was a youngster but I have experienced it in abundance - particularly in the last two years. The off-the-field abuse has caused considerable embarrassment and heartache to me and my family and this latest incident told me it was time to quit the game I love and cherish."

Watson said that Roos's application of the Law leading to the yellow carding of two Griquas players against the Blue Bulls could not be faulted, from a Law point of view. He added that replacing a referee of Roos's calibre and experience was far from straightforward.
"He has refereed nine Test matches, 14 Super games and more than 30 Currie Cup matches. Experience like that takes seasons to accumulate," said Watson.
"Willie was one of the top ten referees in South Africa and it is tragic to lose him at the tender age of 34, when he should have been available to service SA Rugby for at least ten more years.
"The Kimberley match was the last straw in the Willie's case. Referees know that our role is potentially controversial and that there will definitely be criticism, but when it becomes physical and personal in nature, then a line has been crossed.
"Whilst we have a policy of admitting mistakes in public and continuously attempting to educate the public and supporters regarding the law and its application, we find it increasingly irrational to blame everything on the refereeing every time."

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_5516289,00.html

Nations Cup

2009-08-27T02:06:00.000-07:00

USA v Canada - 15-10

What a game to be involved with. Women's rugby does have its critics, but before the ill-informed shoot their mouths off about the sport, they may want to pop along and watch the odd game or two.

This North American battle pitted hosts Canada (ranked fourth in the world) against the USA, who finished fifth at the 2006 World Cup and who had not beaten the US since 2006.

The Canucks were the firm favourites to win the clash as they had also beaten their neighbours two months ago in a Can-Am clash in Colorado, 25-17.

While there were the usual higher-than-normal numbers of scrums than one may associate with the men's game, this was a cracker of a game.

Quite often as a referee I don't remember a match in as much detail as, for example, is written in a match report, but I knew from the outset that any sport involving a Canada v USA match-up was going to be intense - and it was.

These teams are building for next year's World Cup in England, and a tough encounter ensued. I remember the close-fought nature of the game and the intensity under which it was played, and at 10-10 in the second half, with the Canadian fly-half missing a conversion, there was everything to play for.

And so when the hosts went over for a try in the final quarter, one wondered what the response would be. Neither team surpassed the other, they were both evenly matched, and to write-off the US would have been foolish.

The US fought back with plenty of belief and a try in the final minute of the game sparked scenes of celebrations at the final whistle - it was if I'd just blown time on the World Cup final, such was their joy at beating the Canadians.

But for me the team of the tournament was by far South Africa. Having played dismally in the World Cup three years ago, the improvement in the squad is staggering.
The success of their 7s team has helped enormously and having a few experienced heads in the squad will help them in their quest for next year.

If they can get their forwards a lot fitter and conditioned, and sort out their set piece play, they will cause a few upsets next year.

But, having said all that, it's such a shame the team's success (they drew with Six Nations side France 17-17) appears to have missed the sporting media spotlight down south.

Bad timing maybe? (what with the SARU having recently been fined by the iRB for its farcical armband protest) - I doubt it.

And as for Total Rugby (the iRB-sponsored television show) following the England squad in Toronto? Hmmm... maybe their cameras would have been better off following the Springboks?

Nations Cup

2009-08-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

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!

Nations Cup

2009-08-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

Observations from an English perspective

Positives

Friendly Canadians

Amazing scenery

Decent coffee

Sunshine

Great food prepared for you three times a day

Big pick-up trucks and big, wide roads

People in the service industry who actually enjoy their job

Niagara Falls

CN Tower

Negatives

Humidity

Mosquitoes

Dorms with no air-con

College campus with no bar within walking distance

No baked beans

Ice baths

Ques for CN Tower

Nations Cup

2009-08-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

Nations Cup - down time

Generally speaking, the day following matchday is pretty laid back and uneventful.

Most of the time it's taken up by a post-match debrief with the match observer and a DVD review.

Occasionally one of the teams will request your presence at a DVD review so they can ask questions of certain decisions (or in some cases lack of them).

The only team to have asked this so far have been the South Africans, and it was a good meeting in which myself and the coaching staff learned of each others' interpretations.

It transpires that the South Africans, unlike the other nations here, have played very few international matches since the World Cup in 2006, so they are keen to learn referees' interpretations of certain events that take place on the field.

Most of the time coaches from the other nations tend to catch you for a chat over breakfast in the dining hall, although I'm not a morning person, so do my best to avoid contact until at least 10am when I'm a little more awake.

Monday, thou, was a little different after Sunday (match day three) in that we went to Niagara Falls - obviously a must-see when you're in this part of the world.

It was simply amazing and a trip on the boat that takes you right up to both the Canadian and American falls has to be done if you are to really appreciate the power and wonder of nature.

And it was nice to get away from rugby for a day. As much as we all love the sport, two weeks can be a long time and the danger of cabin fever at the campus creeps up as the days go by.

A worthwhile trip and a change of scenery - definitely good for the sporting soul.

Nations Cup

2009-08-17T17:34:00.000-07:00

Nations Cup - Day Three

After a two-day break, taken up by a trip into downtown Toronto and the proverbial open-top bus tour around the city, it was back to work on Sunday.

Match day number three saw two touch-judging assignments (assistant referees for the purists out there) - USA v South Africa and France v Canada.
For the record, USA beat SA quite comfortably, although the game will be remembered for the SA's inability to listen to the referee and, if I'm honest, the inability to think for themselves.
Three yellow cards for failing to retreat 10m at a penalty in the attacking 22m was disappointing, but, try as she might, the referee could not get the SAs to listen. And they suffered for it.

The second game, though, threw up a shock result when France beat hosts Canada, who finished fourth at the World Cup in 2006.

And the second game saw a new record for me - a foul play flag less than two minutes in, but it didn't help that the comms broke down and the referee didn't get wind of the incident until the offending team where awarded a kickable penalty.

I wasn't flavour of the month on the hosts' bench, but then I wasn't the one who gave away a needless penalty less than 6ft from the TJ.

But it's all part of the fun and, as they say, the learning curve of officiating.

Another match day done and dusted - it's time for a well-earned pint.

Time to go to work

2009-08-17T05:19:00.000-07:00

Nations Cup Day Two

No-one likes waiting, so Thursday could not come quick enough for me. Finally, after four days, it was my turn to feel the nerves.

A 6.30pm kick-off though, like I mentioned before, presents one major problem - overcoming the anxiety of the wait. Canada versus South Africa was my game, while a Canadian colleague was taking charge of the France against England match at 4.30pm.

Breakfast was followed by a quick trip into town for coffee to break up the feeling of "cabin fever" that can exist when you're staying in one place for so long with not a great deal to do on site.

Lunch quickly came and went and then it was time to get set. The one thing that did concern me was the heat, or to be more accurate, the humidity.
Even at 6.30pm it still feels like 35C and you quickly find yourself "glowing". I was just hoping I didn't expire midway through the game!

Fortunately I did not, and the match unfolded into a cracker, with Canada winning 35-17, although the second half belonged to South Africa.
The Canadians came out of the blocks quickly and put three tries on the board early on, but the South Africans hit back and pushed the hosts all the way in the second period.

Game over and job done. Glad to have got the first game under my belt and, judging by the comments of the Welsh assessor, it was a good evening at the office.

Here's to game day three.

Nations Cup - Match Day One

2009-08-16T06:34:00.000-07:00

Nations Cup 2009

Day One: Monday saw the first fixtures of this year's competition; France v South Africa and England v USA and because of the heat, the kick-offs are scheduled for late afternoon - 4.30pm and 6.30pm.

Although it doesn't make much of difference as it is still baking and there's high humidity. And what is strange is that being based on a campus means no changing facilities like one would normally be used to. With the teams all being boarded in separate houses/dorms, the pre-match logistics of kit checks, front row briefs and coin tosses, etc, go a little out of sync.

But the killer with late kick-offs is the wait... like the players, you wake up and just want to get on with it... but you can't, and the hours drag by.

My work for the day consisted of fourth official for the first game and assistant referee for the second.

Having holidayed in France quite a lot, I can get by with the language, just, but trying to control the technical area and substitutions calls for a little more pigeon French than I can muster.

Having said that, the French are renown for their hand gestures and we eventually get along just fine - despite the fact they, like most of the teams, push the boundaries.

The second game saw England overcome a resilient USA side. It was a case of England's attack against the US's defence, but the team of the day for me were the South Africans.

Having refereed them in the World Cup (2006) against Australia, when they were quite honestly woeful, I was amazed at just how far they had come.

The 7s influence (they have their entire World Cup 7s team in the squad) is plain to to see, and their workrate and tackling is second-to-none.

They held France to a 17-17 draw, although were unlucky to lose as France scored in the final play to draw the game.

Day one is done, here's to day two, and my shot in the middle.

Nations Cup

2009-08-15T06:43:00.000-07:00

The first full day in Toronto (Sunday) was taken up with Rugby Canada's National Championships - a competition to see who would be crowned under-16, 17 and 19 champions.

And it was an ideal way to run off the flight and give the lungs a blow-out, while dodging the rain storms and mosquitoes. It's almost as if the rain followed from England and the mosquitoes sense fresh blood.

But a good day ensued and I had one appointment in the middle for British Columbia v Newfoundland and Labrador and a TJ and fourth official appointment. The BC v NL match was pretty one-sided, but fun and it beats going for a run.

The day also meant catching up with old faces whom I'd met on my travels over the years, some from the Women's World Cup in 2006, and some from as recent as last year.
And, of course, it also provided the opportunity to meet new people who were also going to be involved in the Nations Cup.

But the lasting memory of the Sunday has to be the huge storm that swept through in the evening. I have never seen anything like it and despite being in the comfort and relative safety of a monster 4x4 pick-up that Rugby Canada had rented for the duration of the tournament, it's fair to say I was petrified. Thunder and lightening like I've never seen, storm clouds as black as the night sky, rain like a power-shower and winds in excess of 100mph.

Toronto's famous CN Tower was hit five times between 7.30pm and 8pm, while we took shelter in a hotel lobby as the storm passed.

And I thought I'd left the rain in England...

Living the dorm life....

2009-08-15T05:26:00.000-07:00

Nations Cup 2009

Apologies for the lack of posts, and it's not as if I can blame it on the time difference, but I am in the fortunate position to be based in Toronto for two weeks for the Nations Cup.

I arrived last Saturday and a week later I have still no got used to one thing - the humidity. The time difference/jet lag, etc, are a doddle compared to the humidity, although being based in a dorm with no air conditioning doesn't help.

The Nations Cup involves the women's national teams of Canada, England, France and South Africa and is based in Appleby College, Oakville. In fact, Gloucester trained here two seasons ago, and I'd love to know what they made of the rooms (all the teams and officials are based in dorms) and the lack of temperature control.

The setting is fabulous as the college is based on the shores of Lake Ontario and unless you've actually seen it, it is difficult to comprehend the size and expanse of one of the Great Lakes. With the towns of Oakville and Bronte a short drive away (walking it means you're a mass of perspiration within five minutes), local amenities are never far.

And so to a first night of sleep broken by the need to toss and turn as I try and get used to the fact that it's going to be warm... very warm.

Be warned... bad joke alert

2009-08-07T03:55:00.000-07:00

A Friday funny...

In the middle of a game, the referee suddenly blows his whistle to stop play when he sees a long funeral procession on the road that runs alongside the field.

He closes his eyes and bows his head in prayer.“Wow,” said the yellow-carded scrum-half. “That is the most thoughtful and touching thing I’ve ever seen. You truly are a kind man. I’ll never think badly of a referee again.”

The referee replies: “Thanks lad, we were married nearly 30 years.”

Yep - it's a bad one!

Well done on two accounts

2009-08-05T08:17:00.000-07:00

Followers of Bath Rugby will have been kept busy these past few weeks and will no doubt be glad the RFU hearing in Messrs Lipman, Crockett and Higgins is over.

Briefly, the three have been banned for 9 months after they were found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute after failing on two occasions to attend drugs tests. (see the links to the right to thisisbath.co.uk for all the news).

Now, being privy as I am to goings on at Bath via the medium of the good old press conference, can I just say two things;

1 - How refreshing it is to have players put up for interview who actually speak their mind and seem passionate about the topic of conversation. Excellent choices by the squad to elect the "famous five" as player representatives - although Joe Maddock, as pleasant as he is, was a little on the quiet side. But then who good blame him when you're sat next to David Barnes and David Flatman.

2 - Well done the RFU for publishing in full the judgements into the Justin Harrision and Lipman/Crockett/Higgins hearings - a journalist's dream. Transparency the order of the day.

Here's to Bath Rugby moving on and putting the whole sorry saga behind it.

Now, who will be named captain?

From fly-half to referee...

2009-07-10T02:27:00.000-07:00

Saracens fly-half Glen Jackson is to join New Zealand's professional referee ranks.
The New Zealander is contracted for another year at the English Premiership club but has been granted special leave to attend a New Zealand Referees training camp in Auckland this week.
He will undergo the NZRU Referee Academy Training programme with a view to officiating in the 2010 Heartland Championship - the second tier provincial competition.
The 33-year-old started refereeing age-grade rugby in Tauranga while playing for the Chiefs Super 14 franchise and has continued to develop his skills since moving to Britain in 2004.
He has completed his English RFU referee exams and is a member of the Hertfordshire Referees Society.
NZRU high performance referee manager Lyndon Bray said Jackson's signing as a full-time professional referee would add depth and provide a new dimension to New Zealand's professional pool of rugby referees.
"We're thrilled that Glen Jackson has chosen refereeing as the next step in his professional rugby career," he said.
"It's rare that professional players at Glen's level make the move into refereeing but his skills as a player can only enhance his ability as a referee.
"It's great that England has embraced and supported Glen's desire to develop his skills in refereeing, and I am confident that support will continue over the next year."
Jackson, who has played for Bay of Plenty, the Chiefs, New Zealand Maori and the New Zealand Barbarians, is looking forward to the new challenge.
"I've enjoyed refereeing age grade rugby back home in Tauranga and in London," said Saracens all-time Premiership top-scorer.
"This is a great opportunity to continue living rugby at the top level.
"I am keen to create the right environment for working towards earning an opportunity to referee at Test level. I'll bring something different to the game, and I think players will recognise this."

Back Down Under

2009-07-01T04:01:00.000-07:00

A few months ago it was widely reported in the media that New Zealand referee/bad boy Steve Walsh and the NZRU had parted company.

Walsh had been in and out of the media spotlight for a number of reasons over the year and the final straw appeared to be his alleged turning up at an SANZAR conference while under the influence of alcohol late last year.

The NZRU refused to give Walsh yet "another" final chance to sort himself out and so they parted company. He admitted he'd not dealt with personal issues properly and was taking time out to sort things.

But the good news, as far as I'm concerned, is that Walsh appears not to have been a loss to the game as it appears he's enjoying life in Sydney, Australia, where he's picked up the whistle and is back in action.

That is unless there is another Steve Walsh refereeing the TooheysNewCup Shute Shield match between Eastern Suburbs vs Northern Suburbs at the Woollahra Oval this weekend.

I indeed hope it is Steve Walsh, formerly of NZ, and not a namesake. For all is problems off the pitch, he was a world class referee and would have been a big loss to the game.

Jutge hangs up his whistle

2009-06-16T05:12:00.000-07:00

France's top referee Joël Jutge has given up the battle against injury and has decided to quit active refereeing and go into administration.

Jutge has been unable to referee since November 2007 when he was having cartilage trouble and underwent a knee operation. After the operation he spent eight months recovering but all was s till not right and he underwent another operation on the same knee. This meant 10 months of recuperation.

He had hoped to be ready but was forced to withdraw from a club match in France and then from, European Challenge match and then from two Six Nations appointments. He was a strong candidate to referee on the Lions' tour to South Africa.

Jutge was honoured by the French government. Roselyne Bachelot, the Minister of Health, Youth Affairs, Sport and Associations, presented him with the medal of a Chevalier of the Order of Merit (Médaille de Chevalier de l'Ordre du Mérite).

Jutge was born in Lavaur on 5 April 1966. He took up refereeing after a top career as a scrumhalf for Colomiers and then Cahors.

He is not lost to rugby as he will join Joël Dumé and will look after the professional sector of French refereeing.

Brian Moore

2009-06-04T05:08:00.000-07:00

Love him, or hate him?

Some days it's the former, some the latter, but while I can't bare listening to him as a commentator during the BBC's rugby coverage, there's no questioning his ability as a writer.

On the present turmoil at Bath Rugby, his article (see link below) is worth a look.

I have the dubious pleasure of working in the sporting media in Bath, so have watched this whole sorry story unfold for a long time.

And I have to admit I am not surprised. A well-respected source informed me last year (well before the Matt Stevens saga) that drugs were involved at Bath.

Like many, though, I am deeply saddened at the current situation that envelopes the club I have supported for many years.

Quite how head coach Steve Meehan is supposed to rebuild his squad when he returns from Australia's east coast is beyond me - good luck to him. The Australians are facing a coaching crisis as it is withing their club structure - would anyone blame him for returning back Down Under?

I for one hope he doesn't. There is plenty enough talent at Bath and one hopes the actions of a few bad apples doesn't spoil the efforts of the majority at the club.

Kick the offenders out and rebuild, quickly. Easier said than done I know, but here's hoping the Bath management pull it off.

www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/club/5438561/Bath-in-turmoil-as-peer-pressure-is-floored-by-player-power.html

Oz refs have it tough

2009-05-27T04:25:00.000-07:00

Not even swine flu can save Australian NRL referee Matt Cecchin.
Four match officials have been placed in a five-day quarantine after they were exposed to the H1N1 virus on a flight to Canberra last weekend.

They have been replaced for round 12 games this weekend – but not by Cecchin, who awarded the controversial penalty which cost Manly victory on the Gold Coast last Sunday and was not appointed to a first grade game this weekend.

Jared Maxwell also can't take a trip. He is among the four just days after being crash-tackled by a pitch invader at Campbelltown.
Maxwell joins referee Bernard Sutton and touch judges Jeff Younis and Ricky McFarlane in being advised by the ACT and NSW health departments that a fellow passenger on the flight had tested positive to the virus.

The four, who officiated at the Canberra versus Warriors match on Sunday, were told to remain in quarantine until at least seven days after the exposure.

A quieter month - that was May then

2009-05-25T06:51:00.000-07:00

When the season is in full swing, many of us dream of a break - "ah, the summer", but it always appears a long, long way off.
And before you know it - May arrives, the end of the season looms and, after about three weeks, I'm climbing the walls and looking forwards to 7s, August and pre-season.

Not that May has been without its rugby ups and downs. At the end of April I was fortunate enough to attended the RFU's Panel Evaluation Conference - a selection weekend for the National Panel.
Although I was pleased with how the weekend went (and I figured I did myself justice in the various "trials" - including one by knife and fork at a formal dinner) the news at the beginning of May was disappointing. I didn't make the cut, and the reason was my pace, or, more importantly, perceived lack of it.

It was good to hear some positive feedback about other areas of my game (and yes, there are some!) but the powers that be felt I lacked the pace to progress beyond National Three (as it stands).

But a good thing to hear was the RFU's intended pathway for continued progression towards next year's Women's World Cup, in England. A meeting in the summer with the RFU will enlighten me more, so it wasn't all doom and gloom!

As for the rest of May - I've taken it fairly leisurely I have to admit (despite a 7s tourno), although it has been great to see some of the referees I met at the 7s World Cup in Dubai doing really well. Two have made their debuts in the middle of Super 14 matches, and others have popped up in the Magners League and at further iRB 7s Series events.

So, while my hamstrings have been glad of the break, a 5k race breathed some life back into the lungs this weekend, although little disappointed I didn't set a new personal best. Thinking about it, a club annual dinner the night before did not help matters.

Here's to more 7s in June and July and a two-week trip to Canada in August. In the meantime, there's the small matter of shifting a few pounds and beating my 5k pb!

And that was April..

2009-05-01T02:18:00.000-07:00

A sign of getting older is how quick time passes, so should I be worried about just how quick April flew by?

It seems mad that the end of the season is here already, but as the end of the 15-a-side game looms, the 7-a-side circuit takes off - no rest for the wicked.

April has been another good month on the pitch - a cracking SW1 game between two of the leagues top sides kicked the month off, with a Cornish Cup final thrown in for the mix.
The games could not have been different, and played only three days apart. One had glorious weather and saw two teams fling the ball all over the field and run from wherever. The second was played in a mudbath with what seemed like a monsoon raging the Cornish coastline!

And it was also a month for another first - two games in one day, not to be recommended as my hamstrings will testify. A leisurely trip to Henley for the National Colts semi-finals (with me all set for a 3pm KO) turned into a fast-lane dash up the M4 when a call came in asking me to get there for the 12pm KO as the referee failed to turn up.

The lungs held out, but the hamstrings just about recovered in time for another pasting on the Rec the day after when the rocket boots came out for the Bath United v University of Bath match - a warm-up for the Real Varsity Match between the University of Bath and Loughborough Uni this week.

I was lucky enough to be in the middle for the women's Real Varsity Match and while the pace of the game allowed the hamstrings to recover, the endeavour shown by the players was just as great, if not greater, than their male colleagues.

And so April has drawn to a close and with it the 15-a-side season. Bring on the 7s!

Mad as a March hare...

2009-04-03T05:13:00.000-07:00

What a month! March provided some of the biggest rugby highlights for me, and it's fair to say it was an exciting journey.
Of course, it started with the 7s World Cup in Dubai and, following a weekend off, I was then in the middle for the Wales v Ireland Women's Six Nations clash.
It was a cracking day in Taffs Well RFC, South Wales, with second place in the Six Nations championships up for grabs.
With Wales beating England 16-15 earlier in the tournament, the hosts started as favourites and were two tries up within 10 minutes. Things looked ominous...
But then Ireland saw some of the ball and a cracking contest unfolded between two good teams. Ireland have come on a lot since the World Cup in 2006 when I refereed them against South Africa - surely this bodes well for a great showing from both teams in the World Cup next year.
For the record, Wales won 13-10, and the appreciative crowd (one of the best I've had the pleasure of refereeing in front of) were treated to some excellent play.

My final match of a mad month was my fourth shot in the National Leagues - my last chance in effect to prove myself worthy of the next level.
It went well and the feedback overall was positive. Of course, there were discussion points around various areas, but I left the North Midlands a happy woman.

And now it's a case of waiting to hear if I've fortunate enough to be recommended for the jump up - the month of March has been amazing, one of the best even. Let's hope April is just as positive.

World Cup 7s - The final

2009-03-25T07:05:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-11T05:46:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-11T04:21:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-11T03:48:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

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

2009-03-05T11:27:00.000-08:00

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

2009-03-05T00:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-03-02T23:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-03-02T22:59:00.000-08:00

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!

Watch yourself...

2009-02-18T03:46:00.000-08:00

It can be painful, but there are benefits of watching yourself refereeing on DVD.

Once the vanity has been washed aside, and yes - my backside still looks big on the telly, you find yourself bemoaning the apparent ability the television has to make you look a lot slower than you actually are.

One of the benefits of refereeing a National League Three match (number three in my career) is the DVD, and a good quality one at that. And if any aspiring referees out there get the chance to get a game videoed - do it.

The voiceover enlightens you to the amount of waffle that one gabbles (me - waffle?), and you soon begin to realise that much of what you say is not for the benefit of the players, but you - the referee.

The art of communication and reducing "white noise" is an ongoing one for me, as is the progress of my pace and acceleration. And the DVD means there's no hiding place!

But, in my defence your honour, a quicker game requires smarter running lines and better game anticipation - and so it is here I will be focusing my thoughts ahead of my game on Sunday.

As for the 7-a-side game - my trip to the Rugby World Cup 7s in Dubai is less than two weeks away, and so there really is no excuse to miss sprint training.... oh what joy.

Dubai corner: Two weeks

Weight loss: Overall 4lbs - not quite the dizzy heights I was aiming for.
Alcohol intake: Three bottles of lager and three glasses of wine - not good after a two-week abstention.
Exercise: One game, two gym - not bad, but...

Oops I did it again...

2009-02-09T09:11:00.000-08:00

New Zealand referee Steve "look at me" Walsh has, allegedly, been ruled out of the first round of the Super 14 as punishment for turning up drunk at a SANZAR conference last year.

And the good news is that English referee Wayne Barnes, who seemed to have fallen out with the iRB, has been promoted from his number one assistant refereeing duties to referee.

The Kiwi bad boy of officiating just can't seem to keep out of trouble and, if reports are true that he does have a drink problem, I hope Walsh gets himself sorted out. There's no doubt that he is a good referee, but he hits the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Here's hoping he learns a lesson.

Dubai corner (three weeks)

Weight loss: Overall, 4lb - the right direction but not enough
Alcohol intake: NONE, ZIP, ZLICH - not a drop has passed my lips for 10 days!
Exercise: Two gym, one jog and no games whatsoever. Grrrreat...

Can I offer some advice...

2009-02-02T09:33:00.001-08:00

Not that it happens often after a match, and it hasn't for a while, but it's amazing how many "ex-referees" there are willing to impart some pearl of wisdom in the bar following a match.

Before and during the game there are hoards of people only too willing to offer me plenty of advice on the refereeing front, from the man who confirms the fixture midweek, the bloke on the gate at the hosts club and, of course, the odd spectator or two - it's all part of the game and for the most part it's fine and taken in good humour.

And then there's the ex-referees. A bit like ex-smokers, they always seem to offer the "best advice".
A few weeks ago a rather portly gentlemen from the host club decided that, after the game and while I was waiting for a drink, he'd point out the error of my ways and give me a few tips to improve my refereeing.

Suspicions are always aroused when someone in a club blazer introduces themselves as an ex-referee and a member of Such-and-such Referees Society (rather than from the host club), and all this following a pre-match meal where you just know that much wine and ale has been sunk.

"You know what my love, and I know you won't mind me telling you, but you need eyes in the back of your head.." (as if a referee didn't know that already)... said Mr Ex-Referee. "You need to move around a bit more - you need to catch the cheatin' blighters.."

... and so continued a rather one-way conversation about what I missed and the fact I needed to "move a bit more".

He was right - I do need eyes in the back of my head (they've been on my wish list for years) and I probably do need to move a bit more, but being belched this advice through beer-tinged breath after a game is something I could have done without.

That's what assessors are for!

Dubai countdown: (four weeks)

Weight loss: Not good (up 1lb)
Alcohol: Not great either... (let's move on)
Exercise: Two gym, one refereeing appointment and a schools' 7s tournament

Lee Mears or Lester Piggott?

2009-01-26T12:33:00.000-08:00

Not that I'm stereotyping, but you wouldn't say your average front row forward would spend his working week aboard thoroughbred racehorses.

Think about it - Duncan Bell or Tony McCoy; Phil Vickery or Ruby Walsh; Andrew Sheridan or Willie Carson. It really doesn't compute, does it?

So, it was with just a little shock that, on Saturday, whilst negotiating a quagmire in Gloucester, a front row player from the home team gave me an explanation as to his apparent lethargicness.

"I've been up since 5.30 riding out, I'm knackered ref..."

"Excuse me? Riding out? For whom?" I enquired. "I work for Cheltenham Racecourse, so it varies and depends whose horses are stabled at the track..." replied the short, but stocky player.

And so the conversation continued and no, he wasn't winding me up (as if a front rower would ever pull the wool over the referee's eyes).

At around 5ft 6in and, at a guess, 12st - this stocky chap knew his stuff. But the middle of a rugby pitch is not somewhere you'd expect to find a jockey.

Fortunately his side won, but unfortunately he did not know the winner of the 3.30pm at Haydock and, as a result, I'm forced back to work for a living.

Dubai Corner: five weeks...

Weight loss: going in the right direction

Alcohol: five bottles of larger and three white wines (not good)

Exercise: Two gyms and a league match in the mud

When one should and should not keep quiet

2009-01-18T11:30:00.000-08:00

You can't beat a local derby - and a cup battle between neighbours with history that eventually goes into extra-time is something to be savoured.

Even if you're running touch, you cannot afford to take your eye off play or lose concentration. The last thing you as an assistant referee, as touch judges are now referred to, is want to let the referee down.

On Saturday, a Bristol cup derby awaited and, although the sides concerned didn't seem keen on playing the ball past their fly-halves, an intense forward battle took place throughout the 80 (or 100 minutes as it turned out).

Many people do not fully understand or appreciate the roles of assistant referees and on the line you get to hear the crowd's comments a lot clearer than when you're in the middle.

Now's not the place to bore you with the finer points of running the line, but one thing you take responsibility for is comments from the crowd directed at the referee, and if it's bordering on effecting the man in the middle from doing his job properly, you have to step in.

And so a burly gentleman with a cracking Bristol accent felt the wrath of my flag when he decided to prowl the touchline and tell all who cared to listen that the referee wasn't doing his job properly - I'm sure you catch my drift here.

What is funny, though, is just how quiet these people become when you stop the game, turn the spotlight on them and tell them, politely, that should they wish to continue, they will be asked to take residence in the clubhouse, or even further afield.

Said gentleman then decided that he would tone down his comments, promptly apologised and scuttled off behind the barrier - and not a peep was heard from him for the remaining 60 minutes.

Job done. It's just a shame I can't say the same for some of the Bath fans I sat next to during Sunday's Pool 5 clash between Newport Gwent Dragons and Bath at Rodney Parade.
I bit, if not chewed, my tongue sometimes when one or two spouted a load of nonsense at the officials - on this occasion I kept my mouth shut, just like Mr Bristol!

Dubai corner (six weeks and counting):

Weight loss: A bit, but not as much as I'd have liked
Alcohol intake: Four bottles of larger - again, not as much as I'd have liked
Exercise: Two sessions and a touch judging appointment

Frustrated at the frost

2009-01-13T03:10:00.000-08:00

It wasn't just Bath coach Steve Meehan who was left frustrated on Saturday after his side's game against Wasps was postponed due to an unplayable pitch.

With practically the entire league programme wiped out, I was left staring at a Saturday afternoon void - and it felt uncomfortable. Shopping was out of the question (pay day some way off), an afternoon in the pub would not help my "fitness regime", so indeed it had to be one thing - training.

I hate it. The monotony of running/jogging around a pitch and then interval training - it just doesn't do it for me. I dug deep, though, and went training at my local club and it has to be said - I quite enjoyed it.

Feeling pleased with my efforts (I had also braved the gym twice last week) I stepped on the scales Sunday morning in confident mood...

... and promptly stepped off them in a bad one.

And so, with less than seven weeks to the 7s World Cup in Dubai to go, I'm upping the anti...

Weight loss: None (an increase in fact)
Alcohol intake: One bottle of wine
Exercise: Two gym visits and club training

This had better make pleasant reading next week.

Flight 123, you are cleared to land, just mind the referee if you could...

2009-01-08T02:45:00.000-08:00

Fortunately I was one of the lucky few last week who actually saw some rugby action, although, given the venue of my match (250 miles from cosy Somerset), all around me were convinced it would be under a foot of frost - well, it was "up north".

Thankfully, the drive to Sheffield on the Friday proved fruitful as the game survived the weather and went ahead as planned. And so an hour's drive further north on Saturday morning it was then.

And what a cracker of a match. The hosts appeared dead and buried by half-time and trailed by 30+ points, but there must have been something in those half-time oranges as there was only eight points in it come the final whistle - a great game to be involved with.

Mr Assessor was happy, coaches and players happy, and so a trip to the capital awaits me this Saturday for another National League game, providing, of course, Jack Frost doesn't have the final say.

So, all the good work last weekend will count for nothing unless I produce the goods this weekend. That's just the way it goes. If anyone says refereeing isn't competitive - they're fibbing.

Someone did offer me a great piece of advice, though, ahead of the weekend's fixture:

"The pitch is directly under Heathrow's flight path, so make sure you set your communication kit to the right channel".

Wise words indeed!

Brass Monkeys

2008-12-29T07:26:00.000-08:00

Once or twice I've been so cold in the middle of the pitch that I could barely reach into my pockets to mark a score or pull out a card - my hands have all but died from the cold.

And on Saturday, while perched in the press box at the Bath v Northampton game (which is open to the elements at -3C with the wind chill factor) my fingers gave up all hope of typing the match report. Not so much freezing the ba**s off a brass monkey, more like its fingers.

So when I tentifully answered a call on Sunday to referee on Monday evening, I knew that my first purchase with the Christmas cash accumulated from the big day was looming - a base layer just had to be bought.

And £25 later (not too bad I reckon) I am now the new owner of a nice black base layer and am hoping to God that it keeps me warm this evening.

Whether or not it does the job I will let you know... that's if I survive a 7.30pm KO in a freezing Bridgwater - all the name of getting my eye in for the "big one" on Saturday in National Three.

My week gets better...

2008-12-17T07:35:00.000-08:00

It wasn't the best of starts to the week I have to admit, but a phone call telling me I'd been selected to represent the RFU at the iRB 7s World Cup in Dubai next year cheered me up no end!

The tournament will see a women's and men's World Cup run alongside one another, with four women officials complementing the 18-strong men's team.

Looking down the list (see below), it will be great to hook up with some people I've met on my travels and these events always provide a great opportunity to meet new friends on the refereeing circuit.
So, I guess I'll being going slightly easier on the mince pies and drinking only half pints of sherry this Christmas in preparation for the event in early March.
But then - no game is bigger than your next one, so here's to Exmouth v Bournemouth in South West One on Saturday.

Women Referees

Dana Teagarden USA
Joyce Henry Canada
Claire Daniels England
Gabriel Lee Hong Kong

Women Assistant Referees

Miho Osawa Japan
Barbara Guastani Italy
Aoifie McCarthy Ireland
Anastassiya Khamova Kazakhstan

Men Referees

Taizo Hirabayashi Japan
David Keane Ireland
Simon McDowell Ireland
Neil Paterson Scotland
James Jones Wales
Andrew Small England
James Bolabiu Fiji
Jean Luc Rebollal France
Carlo Damasco Italy
Marcelo Pilara Argentina
Scott Herbert Arabian Gulf
Andrew Lees Australia
Garratt Williamson New Zealand
Jaco Peyper South Africa

Men Assistant Referees

Alan Whitcombe Arabian Gulf
Grant Bateman Arabian Gulf
James Fitzgerald Arabian Gulf
Mark de Wet Arabian Gulf
Taku Otsuki Japan
Jimmy Toda Japan
Tim Shi China
Tobi Lothian Hong Kong

In Goal Assistants

Nizam Jamaldeen Sri Lanka
Dilroy Fernando Sri Lanka
Harry Mason Singapore
Joe Riddle Arabian Gulf

Referee Managers

Keith Lawrence IRB
Paddy O'Brien IRB
Stan Wright Arabian Gulf

Performance Reviewers

Tappe Henning IRB
Tony Lynch Wales
Dennis Immelman South Africa

Stuart Barnes

2008-12-16T10:46:00.000-08:00

You have to love commentators, or maybe sympathise with them anyway, as often they spout off some pearl about the referee without fully understanding the laws or indeed the officials' protocol about on-the-pitch matters.

Anyway, once again Mr Barnes caused a wry smile to appear on my face when I was listening to him commentate on a Heineken Cup match at the weekend involving a French team and an English one.

The referee, Nigel Owens, boasts a strong Welsh accent and, by this stage of the game, was more than a little hacked off with both sides behaviour and so saw fit to administer a warning in his own inevitable style.

Calling out the skippers, he told them he'd "had enough and they were to stop messing about and scrummage within the laws of the game." (and bear in mind the strong Welsh accent).

But wait - Mr Barnes then declares how unfair that was as surely the French wouldn't have understood a word Owens said, while the English would have!

Yep - of course they didn't. I mean, butter wouldn't melt in their mouths, would it?

Come on Mr Barnes, that was lame, even by your standards...

Stupid shorts and hats

2008-12-04T05:45:00.000-08:00

It's undeniably bloody freezing, and who could blame touch judges for wearing full tracksuits and gloves at last night's Barbarians v Australia match at Wembley. I don't!

Given the choice, I would have worn a base layer, thermals, kit, more thermals and then a tracksuit. I've lost count of the number of times my hands have refused to work when refereeing because it's so cold. Even putting your hands in your pocket to note a score is painful.

But hark - the murmurings from the "old guard" - wear gloves? A tracksuit? God grief, surely not? In my day..... blah, blah.

It divides opinion in officiating circles, after all, image is everything. Generally speaking, it's a no-no to cycling shorts visible beneath shorts, but a base layer under your shirt is OK. And God forbid anyone who referees while wearing a support bandage, ankle-style boots or keeps a pencil tucked in their sock. (I have my own idea of where I can stick a pencil.)

But when you're on the line, a little more sympathy is allowed. So it's a yes for a tracksuit and gloves, but a beanie hat would send shivers down the corridors of Twickenham, after all, we're British (but with that, slightly stubborn).

However, which IRB nut came up with idea to design shorts with a "pouch" for sticking your cards in down the front? Every time one of the officials in this autumn's international spell reached for his cards, he looked like he was 1) adjusting himself, 2) warming his hands up.

Cards and scorebook in pockets, watch on wrist and as for the pencil? I'll leave that to your imagination...

England v New Zealand

2008-12-01T08:41:00.000-08:00

Being the "reserve" referee last weekend meant inevitably I ended up not refereeing as it would appear there wasn't a shortage of us around the region, so I headed off to a local club and watched a second team game.

And soon got fed up of that (sorry, but it was dire) and my will to watch was tested beyond reason, with the referee (who I think I've seen at our society's monthly meeting once in the last three years) seemingly refereeing a completely different game.

Not being able to draw myself to watch the Welsh (grrr) beat the Aussies, it was England v New Zealand and irish refere Allain Rolland.

Far be it from me to criticise, but one couldn't help thinking he over-refereed the first half (especially England) and backed himself in a corner for the second. Four-yellow cards for one side? As for the penalty count 15-5 against England?? Mmmmmm...

Haskell (again- deliberate use of elbow and in full view of ref
Mears - in at side after warnings (doh!)
Rees - after yet more warnings, so had to go for obvious offence
Flood - unlucky to be carded with accidental high tackle

England played Rolland all wrong, communicated appallingly (Borthwick mainly), and I have never seen Rolland get so hacked off with a side before.

But then, Steve Borthwick is hardly the greatest leader of men and England were given enough warnings, but if the best he can do is "what was that for ref?" time and time again, it makes you wonder.

And how many times to England fail to listen to the instructions? The better team is always the one who works out the referee early on, just as the better referees are the ones who work out the teams early on.

England's hammering was not Rolland's fault, far from it, but one of the IRB's top guns was not as his best on Saturday at Twickenham.

2008-11-27T06:28:00.000-08:00

BRIAN Smith believes New Zealand's shock defeat of the Kangaroos in last week's Rugby League World Cup Final can help inspire England this weekend."There are times when you're going to have your backs against wall," the England Attack Coach told today's rfu.com podcast, ahead of Saturday's Investec Challenge match against the All Blacks at Twickenham."

As raging favourites, Australia dominated the tournament. But in the final, New Zealand were still in the game after 60 minutes and they were good enough to beat the team everyone else considered untouchable. There's a lesson there for us."

A former Ireland and Australia international himself, Smith insists the learning curve is part and parcel of the team's development. "I've been around the block enough to know that winning and losing are all part of the process."If you get distracted by either it can get you unstuck.

The most important thing is to reinforce the things that were good and address the things that were bad. If you've got a commitment to do that and you work your tail off, then you'll get there in the end."With the All Blacks looking for a third straight tour victory, Smith accepts that England are the underdogs on Saturday, but warned, "Understand this. In this year's Tri-Nations series, New Zealand lost to South Africa, then they lost to Australia.

They were staring down at a third straight defeat. But they went on to win it."One of three changes to the line up that faced South Africa last week, Danny Cipriani this week takes his place on the bench, making way for Leicester Tiger Toby Flood.

"I can completely understand the coaches' decision," admitted the 21-year-old."There's no hard feelings here. I'm looking forward to going out there any hopefully play some rugby. There's no pain in the foot whatsoever, it's fine. I just need to get that consistency of performance in my game. I've shown some glimpses but it's only seven games in, hopefully after another two or three I will be there."Should he come on, Cipriani is looking forward to the prospect of facing Dan Carter.

"Dan and Richie McCaw are inspiring characters. You see the way they play their rugby and the way they carry themselves, they are fantastic. There's a lot for me to learn still. This is just another step along the path to being as strong a player as I can be."Carter too is quick to compliment both England's young fly halves.

"I was expecting to come up against Danny this week, I'm sure he'll get some game time. He's still young and I'm sure it won't be the last we see of him, he's got a lot of talent and if he keeps working hard then he's capable of being one of England's best."I think Toby is a pretty similar player.

If England can get things going forward and give him front foot ball then he'll certainly be a player to watch out for."The match is for the first time being played for the Hillary Shield, in honour of New Zealand icon, the late Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Everest in 1953.Said Carter, "Edmund Hillary is pretty special to New Zealanders."It's the first time we'll be playing for this trophy so we'll be pretty keen to get our names on it first. We've been a bit slack this tour in not starting well and giving people a sniff early on.

"We realised we're playing against a tough opposition, England are fortunate to have Martin Johnson, he's a real leader and I'm sure the guys look up to him and want to perform their best. I'm sure they'll be very fired up for him and the fans.

"It won't be the end of rugby on these shores for the likes of Richie McCaw and Joe Rokocoko, they'll be joining a myriad of rugby stars to play for the Barbarians against Australia at Wembley next Wednesday.

It's the centenary of the London Olympics match between Australia and Great Britain, who at that time were represented by Cornwall. Fans can avoid the booking fee by buying tickets through Middlesex County, priced from £30 for adults and £15 for under 16s. Contact Phil Duffy on 07736 517729 or e-mail philipduffy@rfu.com before Tuesday.For the full interviews, check out the rfu.com podcast every Thursday (from 4pm).

Dubai or Combe Down?

2008-11-26T13:06:00.001-08:00

Who needs Dubai when you've got Somerset?

The last week of Novemeber and as yet I have no idea what awaits me Saturday as I'm on the "reserve" list. Part of me hopes I don't get a call up to cover an injured/sick colleague as that means travelling anywhere in the south west region, but, as I didn't get to ruin anybody's weekend last Saturday (family commitments), I feel the urge to go out there this weekend - hopefully it won't mean travelling to far, thou.

And that's because I'm off to The Stoop on Sunday to cover the Harlequins v Bath game for the Bath Chronicle. It will also provide an opportunity to watch the referee - Martin Fox. It becomes a habit when you're a referee yourself, you end up watching the official and not the game. (Take up the whistle and you'll know exactly what I mean).

This weekend also sees the first of the IRB 7s in Dubai and I was hoping to be out there as part of the team officiating in the women's tournament, but alas I wasn't selected as the powers that be have selected some up-and-coming referees to peruse ahead of the 7s World Cup in Dubai in March 2009. Fingers crossed for selection in March then!

And so, for those that care, I didn't get to hear "but ref, I was on my feet" or "ref, they're offside all the time" at all last weekend - oh how I miss that, but I did go training (twice) and consumed a low level of alcholic units.

Oh, and here's hoping England don't suffer the hammering I fear they may get against the All Blacks at Twickenham this Saturday... ever the optimist!