Referees Tip

Weekly tips from Harbour Rugby's Referee Education Officer Ray Garrett.

Finals Time

Finals time for some –this includes AR's and Sub Controllers - normal games for the masses.

What does this mean? Do the same as you have done each week – “think excellence will achieve excellence in performance”.

For the match officials ( including AR’s – Sub Controllers)

Friday: Gear is checked – 100% injury free – game plan in place – Contacted your AR’s for prematch arrival time and key focus areas identified.

Game Day: Re focus – Be relaxed – Be excited – Revisit your game plan.

Prematch: Ensure ropes are up and remind the coaches – everyone – including water carriers and coaching staff are to remain behind the ropes during the fixture. Only 1 trained physio / doctor can roam the side of the field from each team. Most teams will not have one of these so all water carriers (max 4) must remain behind the ropes.

Focus areas for all referees:

Set Play: Scrums – “tidy scrum tidy game” Ensure after the “crouch call – you check the “props” knees are bent. “Touch” is only on the side of the shoulder. The key is the “Pause” ensure the scrum is “Square and Steady” and you check the far loose head is square. Then call engage.

For those refereeing DSLV try in the prematch asking the question: How far can you push (1.5m) How do you know when you have reached 1.5m? Ensure you make a long mark so when they come up to it they will stop pushing.

How far can you wheel? 45* How do you know when you have pushed 45*?

Aim is to get player ownership before the game starts and for you to be aware if they understand the laws that apply to them.

Lineout: Ensure a wide gap and if the ball is taken into a maul – ensure the backs stay back until the hindmost foot has gone past the line of Touch

Tackle Area: Ensure the tackler rolls away immediately – the arriving player on his feet – through the gate has all the rights to play the ball. Set an early standard in this area.

Have a great weekend of refereeing and enjoying your rugby – I will be away over the next two weekends. If you have any queries – concerns etc contact your chairman or membership person who will follow up any action required

Assistant Referees:

AR 1:Have you completed your game plan to plan how you would referee the game – if the referee has to leave the field? Essential part of being AR 1

Offside lines: Ensure you stand on the players onside line at rucks/mauls/scrums and lineouts. This line is found by standing with one foot on the offside line and the other foot on the onside line. This way you will pick up the flyers early.

Foul Play: Ensure you watch players leaving the contest area – the kicker is safe and be vigilant. If you see it and the referee also sees it – you must still flag the incident and report it to the referee. He/she may have seen a different picture to you and it gives the referee time out to think through his/her next process.

Semi Finals

This weekend for some grades is semi final time. What does this mean?

1: Game Plan preparation to be sharp and measurable
2: Teams on “arousal” alert
3: Management teams “taking no prisoners”

Key pictures to assist making the correct decision:
Tackle: Arriving player on his feet reaching down with his hands to pick up the ball – provides a positive picture.
Arriving player arriving with elbows on a player on the ground – negative picture – highly likely to be off his feet – penalty.
Visualise: when sitting at your table having a cup of coffee do you put your elbows on the table to pick up the cup – No – You pick it up with your hands without needing the elbows.
Use this picture on Saturday and refereeing the tackle area will be easier for your decision making.

Scrum: Scrum cadence: Hold the pause to ensure you have checked that the far loosehead is square and steady – then engage.

After engage – use your AR’s to inform you if after the hit the tight head prop changes his binding to be on the arm of his opponent – who will then get rolled in.

AR’s: Seek from the referee of what he requires of you.
When speaking to the referee – only speak when you are aware he is not giving the players instructions e.g. calling the scrum cadence – setting the lineout.

Positional Play: Stand on the onside line at all rucks and mauls of the defending team – unless your referee requests another position.
Scrums: Stand on the defenders 5 m offside line – but check that the attackers 1st 5/8 is also 5m back.
Identify foul play – even if the referee has seen it. Report what you have seen to the referee.

Referee Coaches
Focus on tackle area – hands on v elbows on
Scrum cadence and engagement
Referee movement around the field – viewing from the in goal area
Have a great weekend

Pre Match

Be relaxed - Be confident - Be positive - Be Yourself

Read the coaches body language - that’s who you will be working with pre, during and post game.

Set a time to meet the team for the Boot inspection and Front Row instruction.
(Usually 30 min prior to kick off).

Be Specific and positive. It is purely a safety instruction opportunity.

Note: Never say what action you will take if X & Y occurs on the field as it is an expectation with the game of rugby that all the players "will play within the laws and safely". It is the coaches responsibility to ensure the players are prepared to play within the laws and safely. The referee’s responsibility is to apply them.

Always finish the safety discussion with a positive -e.g. "Enjoy your game"

On Field Action Plan:

Management

Sportsmanship: Zero tolerance for foul language – both between team mates or opposition players – and challenging /questioning referee decisions.

The Result will be: Allowing it to continue unnoticed will sit on the sub conscious and the result being a game made more difficult to manage as the players build antagonism.

Foul Play: Zero tolerance in this area: Feedback from parents is a concern that when their child has been struck by an opponent the referee is not taking firm enough action. Act on the first time you observe it.

The Result: The parent withdrawing their child from rugby.

Technical:

Aim this weekend is to have greater accuracy in the tackle/ ruck area and establishing player ownership. – Try and see how quick the arriving player plays the ball and when he does play it has the ball carrier let the ball go.

Have you thought of putting an "acronym" on your hand to prompt your plan for the game? E.g. ACE - (Accuracy - Composure - Enjoyment)

"Tidy Scrums Tidy Game"

There is a saying "Tidy Scrums Tidy Game" i f you have it right there will only be one reset per game (Reset when the ball has been thrown into the scrum).

To assist you in achieving this goal the key it is in how you set the pre engagement/ engagement process. Then identifying the last point on the checklist prior to calling the next command. Remember to ensure the backs are back 5m prior to calling the scrum process

The command is:

1:Crouch: Last check is "Are the knees bent?" This will ensure a strong base set by the front row. A good crouch is to have all the front row sitting in a position.

2:Touch: Last check is observe the touch onto the point of the opponents shoulder - this will secure a good gap between the front rows.

3: Pause: Last check is ensuring the far loosehead is square.

4: Engage: Last check (as you are moving around the scrum to get close to behind the halfback) the hand of the far tighthead is on the back of his opponent.

Get this process right and you are well on the way for a successful day in the office.

Do not move to the next command until you are happy that you are happy that the players have complied with your first command.

Remember the scrum is ready for the ball to thrown into the scrum when it is square and stationary - beware of the teams who engage -then wheel 25* then remain stationary. If this occurs - reset and start again. Why? Otherwise this team will have too much advantage and it will result in having disruptive scrums and provide the openside flanker of the non throwing in team with an an advantage.

The scrum half must start behind the No 8 feet.

Advantage

The most powerful tool for the referee to apply and for the players to take up the challenge to try and be skilled enough to allow play to be more continuous with fewer stoppages.

How?
When the referee observes a players mistake e.g. knocks the ball on – is accidently offside etc - the referee’s skill factor as a referee kicks in. The challenge now is to try and ensure if at all possible play can continue rather than blowing the whistle.

What is the next process for the referee?
The aim is to see that the non offending team gains possession of the ball – once gained -the non offending team have the right to gain this possession under no pressure by the opponents – hence it must be clear and real. If the answer is yes – play on – and be quick to call it over e.g. after 1-2 passes under no pressure.

This opportunity includes either gaining territory (by kicking the ball or running) or tactical (having the ball in the player’s possession).

If this occurs and the team in possession decides to then intentionally knock the ball on or throw the ball forward – what does the referee do now?

Answer: Penalise the team infringing – Why? The players do not get the right to choose if they do or do not get the advantage.

Summary: The art of refereeing is the skill of applying the advantage law to ensure continuity of play – Rule of thumb call it over quicker especially on wet days– rather than waiting longer.

This weekend focus on testing your application of advantage – at the end of the game reflect on how you performed in this area – and continue to develop this skill next week.

Enjoy your weekend and to those travelling to other provinces – enjoy the experience and the different styles of how rugby is play and apply your refereeing talent well.

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Pre Match

Be relaxed - Be confident - Be positive - Be Yourself

Read the coaches body language - that’s who you will be working with pre - during and post game.

Set a time to meet the team for the Boot inspection and Front Row instruction.
(Usually 30 min prior to kick off)

Be Specific and positive. It is purely a safety instruction opportunity.

Always finish the safety discussion with a positive -e.g. "Enjoy your game"

Mouthguards: To play the game all the players must wear a mouthguards. This is compulsory. No mouthguard no Game.

Suggestion: Put the responsibility onto the coach/manager of the team that they ensure all their players will wear a mouthguard and remind them that if a player does not wear one - that he will have to leave the field and find one - without being replaced (14 players) and can only return to the field at a stoppage in play and must report back to the referee on his return. A replacement can come onto the field after 10 minutes if the player has not found the mouthguard.

Set your standard early - No mouthguard in mouth- please leave the field (this includes mouthguards in sox). It is the coach / manager problem - not the referees.

Technical Focus:

Repeated infringement

How do you flag penalties in your mind to ensure you do not end up with 20 - 30 in a game?

Easy - count to two e.g. backs offside twice - Team A coming in the side - twice- Holding onto the ball - twice. Call the captain over and share with him we are now into repeated infringement mode and give him time to speak to his players and informing them that anymore penalties in the area identified could result in being removed from the game. Watch the improved player and the game will have fewer penalties and will be enjoyed more by both players, spectators, coaches and referees.

Note: Ensure both teams are on the field at least 1min before the kickoff time stated in the draw. Kick off is the time set down for the game. An easy way to solve a team arriving late on the field – Get the team on the field to have the opportunity to kick off on the official start time. There’s a challenge for you.

Bottom line: Set the standards early.