Any referees here?

kensutz

Just wondering how many refs we have on the site as I've just completed my first league match today. It was an Under 15 competition and I have to say, it's much harder to referee than anticipated. It's easy being a referee as a spectator but actually putting yourself in the middle is another level altogether.

What made it better for me is that I had an assessor from the MAR game which made me confident that any mistakes I made will be picked up and relayed to me after the game. As it was my first game the faults pointed out were that I missed a couple of knock ons and just need to communicate a lot louder. Also another point was to ping the players straight away and don't let anything develop.

Positioning was another thing I was self conscious about and something which will develop naturally the more games I get under my belt.

The question I have is what other referees find difficult in refereeing and is there any infringements the constantly pull players up for that should be coached out of them?

Tim Robbins

kensutz wrote: »

Just wondering how many refs we have on the site as I've just completed my first league match today. It was an Under 15 competition and I have to say, it's much harder to referee than anticipated. It's easy being a referee as a spectator but actually putting yourself in the middle is another level altogether.

What made it better for me is that I had an assessor from the MAR game which made me confident that any mistakes I made will be picked up and relayed to me after the game. As it was my first game the faults pointed out were that I missed a couple of knock ons and just need to communicate a lot louder. Also another point was to ping the players straight away and don't let anything develop.

Positioning was another thing I was self conscious about and something which will develop naturally the more games I get under my belt.

The question I have is what other referees find difficult in refereeing and is there any infringements the constantly pull players up for that should be coached out of them?

I'm a level 2 ref with the ARLB.

I agree referring is much harder than it looks. And like yourself I used to shout a bit a of refs (never when playing only when watching Leinster / Ireland) before I actually started it :-) And now I never do :-)

My suggestion for any ref starting out is to think safety first. At the breakdown if you loose sight of the ball, or it looks messy - blow up quickly and call it as an unplayable. If rucks get messy, players get frustrated and things can get dangerous very quickly.

The second suggestion I'd have for you is make sure you are fit. The fitter you are, the quicker you'll be at the breakdown and around the park and the less likely you'll loose site of the ball. It will be also much easier to keep your concentration. Your branch will help with all the technical stuff but it's up to you to get fit and stay fit.

I could go on and on about the various aspects of the game. Every game you do you learn something and you should always be thinking to yourself, right what can I improve on for the next game? And every ref will have their own style, pet hates, their own way of communicating. So don't be afraid to question anything I say or anyone else says to you.

If you have specific questions or just want to have chat by all means post. And welcome to the world of referring :-)

kensutz

Fitness isn't anything to worry about, I do a good bit of cycling so that stands to me. Also spinning classes starting next week which will make me unable to walk for a few days

I think the problem where I fell into was that the lads who started the same time as myself got games touch judging so it's helpful to work with referees who have been in the game for a period of time. The one game I was assigned to got called off and then I wasn't assigned to a game until today. It was a bit frustrating but also I think, being landed in the deep end was a good thing to do. That way I can't learn any bad habits only my own which got pointed out by the assessor.

We have 2 more workshops with David McHugh before Christmas which all the beginners just get together and work on positioning etc. Under 15's tend to just all go for the ball without any structure so I guess it's a case of safety first and nip any faults in the bud straight away. Also handy having another ref live up the road from me who is involved in the AIL and ERC games too.

JustinDee

kensutz wrote: »

We have 2 more workshops with David McHugh before Christmas which all the beginners just get together and work on positioning etc. Under 15's tend to just all go for the ball without any structure so I guess it's a case of safety first and nip any faults in the bud straight away. Also handy having another ref live up the road from me who is involved in the AIL and ERC games too.

Great to see more folk going for reffing.
For such a rugby spread of its size, the number of people taking up the referee
route in Ireland is well impressive.
Who's the ref near you by the way? (PM answer if you like). I'd probably know them.

Good idea from TR too about a permanent thread for discussion on reffing.

kensutz

Darragh McCormack is the ref nearby. Really helpful guy so any questions will be directed to him