Taken from a comment by Greenblooded in response to a comment question by Griffon Supporter.
Griffon Supporter:
Herewith I throw my spanner in the works…@Greenblooded…the calibre of refs we are exposed to in many schoolboy games is not acceptable at all, the refs do not have control over the games and they do not know how to handle a pressurised situation when it is forced upon them. It is also discouraging to go to the same schools time and time again who consistently have unequipped officials who are mainly the cause of uptight parents and frustrated PLAYERS.
I hope that ref referred to in your above statement has implications to face for his disgusting and unprofessional actions. He set no example and just proved to all the players on the field how un professional he really was!
Greenblooded:
You are correct – the quality of refereeing at school level is not great at times and I will try and point out the reasons for this. You make reference to ‘the same schools time and again’ – by which I assume you mean Maritzburg College. Please understand that the school does not provide the referees at A team level. Typically what happens is the hosting school will utilize it’s school masters to referee the lower level matches (B / 3rds and below) and request referees from the society for the A teams, 1st and 2nd. THEY PAY FOR THESE REFEREES. MC actually go down to about 4th team and B team – the only school to do so as far as I know. From Maritzburg upwards, referees are appointed by the Midlands Rugby Referees Sub Society based at Woodburn Stadium and under the chairmanship of Kamal Rugbar. MC, St Charles, Voortrekker, Hilton and further in a NE direction. For the Durban area (south until Toti, north until Stanger, west until Kearsney), referees are appointed by the Durban Rugby Referees Sub Society based at Kings Park Stadium and under the chairmanship of Alan O’Connell. The schools request referees for certain matches, the society appoints them. The school has NO SAY in who gets appointed to which game. In terms of active membership (referees who actually ref matches) the Midlands Society is at a guess one third the size of the Durban Society.
Referee Grading and Panels
Once a referee as completed a beginners training course, he becomes a candidate referee and is appointed to junior school matches to cut his teeth (U14D/E/F typically). Often a qualified and experienced ref will ‘shadow’ the candidate which means he runs around the field with him giving guidance until he can fly on his own. Refereeing is a lot like welding. One can read the books, watch the videos, watch others and listen to all the lectures in the world but doing it on the park is a whole other matter. SIDELINE EXPERTS – TATOO THIS ONTO YOUR FOREHEAD!!!! Once he has enough experience and the seniors are happy, he is appointed to a ‘panel’ – a list of referees who are of a certain grading. In the Durban Society this would be called 4B initially and as his experience and competence increases he would progress to 4A, 3B, 3A and 2. Thereafter he would be appointed to the KZN panels, SARU panels and ultimately IRB panels if you are Craig Joubert or Stuart Berry.
Appointments
There will always be controversy regarding appointments with accusations of favouritism etc but how it should work is as follows. The appointments secretary of the society starts off with a list of games for the weekend. He would start by finding out with any of his international, national or provincial panel referees are available to him. Craig Joubert’s first responsibility is to the IRB, failing to SARU, failing to KZN and ultimately to Midlands Society. The games are ranked into merit order. College vs Glenwood on Reunion day would rank higher than Voortrekker vs St Charles (sorry guys but it is). Voortrekker vs St Charles 1st would rank higher than Glenwood vs College U15A. You get the idea. Now the appointments secretary gets out his panel lists and starts with the highest panel and appoints these to the highest ranked games until he runs out of referees on that panel and then moves down to the next lowest panel. The best refs available on the day get the best games played on the day. To keep things fair – this is done on a PANEL basis and not on an INDIVIDUAL basis which is to say that the best ref may only get the 3rd best game on a day to give the others below him a chance at the best games. Then the poor guy needs to deal with games cancellations, refs injured/unavailable at the last minute, car won’t start etc etc etc. It has to be the most thankless task on earth.
Attrition
It stands to reason that for each referee who throws in the towel, his spot on whatever panel he is on will be taken by the NEXT BEST referee. If Craig Joubert gives up refereeing, his spot on the IRB panel will be taken by a referee who is not as good as he is. I for example am rated as the 4587th best referee in the world (thumb suck – I’m probably a lot worse) so then I would move into 4586th place and maybe even up onto a higher panel at Midlands. The overall quality has been reduced. For the much criticised referee in the U15A game on Saturday, he may well say “Stuff this s**t” and hang up his whistle – the result of which will be a WORSE referee than him doing the same game the following week. In a nutshell – the more referees who give up the craft, the worse the refereeing gets.
What are the attrition rates like? Well let’s start with recruitment. The number of recruits coming into the system is very very low. There is a course being presented by the Durban Society at the moment which is VERY POORLY attended. People signing up is declining every time. I think the are less than 10 on the current course. Of those that do join, probably as low as 40% will progress beyond the candidate stage and of those probably more than half will quit within a year. So of the 10 currently in class, 4 will get onto panels within a year and 2 will eventually quit leaving a final throughput of 2 referees. Not good.
Why is this?? NOW WE COME TO THE RUB!!!! To sign up to become a referee, one has to have a skin as thick as a Rhino with a bullet proof vest. It really takes a special type of person to hang his arse out weekend in and weekend out – specially in the beginning stages when you look like a headless chicken running around a field with howls from the sideline. I was part of a project recently to make it easier on a group of candidates coming off the Durban course. Through my involvement with Junior Rugby I suggested that candidates cut their teeth on mini-rugby to give them some confidence. So a group of 9 wet-behind-the-ears referees arrive at the venue, whistles in hand and start to ref the U7, U8 and U9 games. There is NO LOWER LEAGUE THAN THIS. After briefing the parents and coaches about this, and pleading with them to give the guys a chance (and some support) beforehand, only 5 of these 9 guys came back for more the following week. I’m not sure if the 4 have given up completely or not – maybe just shell-shocked an will return.
Training
Compared to players, referees are not well trained or well coached. Even at U14A level, players probably spend 3-4 hours a week practicing and maybe another hour of 2 in some form of conditioning program. By comparison, after completing his course, a referee is given very little in the way of training. He attends a law meeting every fortnight where a topic of law is discussed and are usually very informative. These are normally backed up by video clips from matches. Refer to the welding analogy above. In terms of coaching, he will occasionally be observed by a retired referee and coached on some aspects of his performance. Midlands are highly astute at this – I have been assessed and coached at 4 times this season already. While this is very good it pales in comparison to the hours of coaching the players get. In a nutshell, there is a HUGE disparity in the coaching and conditioning of players and the referees who ref at the same level. Not so for the guys on the SARU and IRB panels. Those guys are highly professional and the coaching/training and support structures around them are top dog. This is plain to see when Craig Joubert refs a school match.
The Solutions!!
The biggest problem with refereeing is that there are FAR too few referees. From both a recruitment and attrition aspect the figures are hugely alarming. The reasons for this are obvious. What is the reward for a referee? They get paid a pittance of a match fee (I think it is about R75 for a school game) and a km rate to cover the guys petrol. I personally have never claimed this but most do. So it is not for financial reward that is for sure. For most of us, we enjoy it despite the abuse we get – all we really get out of it is the satisfaction of having made a contribution and some personal self improvement. What he has to endure in the process is simply not worth it for 99% of sane human beings. I reffed one of the College / Westville matches this weekend. I reffed it to the best of my ability and as fairly as I possibly can. I personally assess myself afterward and gave myself 7/10 – made a few mistakes but did quite well I thought. I have yet to receive my official assessment for that match – we will see. We get down to towards the danger area for one of the teams – the most penalties by the defending team are ALWAYS conceded near the tryline – and I blow a perfectly legitimate attacking penalty for a breakdown infringement. Then I hear some knuckle-dragger on the sideline say “Don’t worry boys – we are playing against 16 men here” – this despite being 10-0 up on the board. Anecdotal but typical. This is the sort of BS you need to put up with. You either learn to ignore it or you let it get to you. I am a hot-head of note (s many bloggers here will confirm) and I have at times crossed the rope and taken on an abusive spectator. I don’t do that much anymore. Refereeing is good for self-control and anger management but it takes a while to work. The top guys say that they are completely tuned out to the crowd – most will tell you they do not even hear them.
So this is the main problem with refereeing and YOU THE SPECTATOR are it!!! If you want to be part of the solution then you need to change YOUR attitude and behaviour:
1. Get the idea out of your head that a referee is biased against your team. It is NEVER the case. What does a referee have to gain by deliberately blowing against one team? Money? In an U15A game? Really? What does he have to lose? A bad assessment and being dropped to a lower panel. Risk/Reward? Doesn’t make sense.
2. If you think you know how to ref – pick up a whistle and go and give it a bash. You will VERY QUICKLY discover that reffing from the sideline and from the middle are vastly different experiences. Easy watching someone else weld and telling him how useless he is until you pick up the torch yourself.
3. Stop making stupid and inane comments from the sideline. And encourage your mates to do the same.
4. Have a zero tolerance policy for those around you that abuse referees. Tell them so. Ostracise them.
5. Support your referees. If a player in your team has a bad game, you will console him and say ‘better luck next time’ but a referee having a bad game gets boo’ed off the field and told not to come back. Why the disparity??
If you want to see the refereeing improve than be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Change your behaviour and attitude and try to do the same in those around you. With attrition rates like they are, very soon the referees on the 2 panel will not know the touchline from the goalline. Then where will we be??
Training and coaching is a distant second in the problem stakes and something the referees societies need to work on but this also needs a buy in from the referees themselves. Not many would be prepared to make themselves available for training as often as players do even if it were available.
Whew – that was quite a thesis. Hope it goes some way to explain the situation and hopefully change some attitudes. The game will be better for it.
IRB Panels can be seen here: http://www.irb.com/training/officialpanels/index.html
SARU Panels can be seen here: http://www.sareferees.com/about-sa-refs/panels
@GreenBlooded: I did, that is why I was asking. He is currently a teacher at Westville. I thought he had a good game. Thought the yellow card on Meaker was a tad harsh but not a decision you could criticise. Seams like a decent young man.
@Tjoppa:
@GreenBlooded: I am, just haven’t been available for a while due to injury and personal circumstances but hope to be back next year, thanks.
@GreenBlooded: I always refused to ref the better teams for obvious reasons, and at the tail end of my “career” I kept the game no more than 15 meters from my position. But was always fair and moved steadily with the stronger team to the opponents try line.
@Westers: I thought he did very well. He blew the clear and obvious, managed the game well, was consistent and had the balls to make the big calls when they needed to be made. He’s a Westville Old Boy – did you know that? Most of all – he wasn’t really noticed, which is quite a feat for someone wearing luminous blue boots….
@GreenBlooded: What were your thoughts on the ref in yesterdays game at Kearsney?
@GreenBlooded: Snap!
@Gungets Tuft: I think Gregan heard about that chirp and tried it on Craig as well, but I attribute the original to Watson as I heard him telling it at a function as well…Could be one of those “Urban Myths” that actually happend to some ref up in Yorkshire 60 years ago!…Like old Cricket Ump Dickie Bird telling Allan Lamb after a wicket have fallen and Lambie coming in to bat against that fearsome West Indian attack…”4 balls left in the over,…. if you play well!”…
@Gungets Tuft: I think that story is one of those urban legends that everyone claims as their own. I think Ed Morrison was the first to claim it so I guess it belongs to him.
@BoishaaiPa: Craig Joubert calims that George Gregan chirped him like that – in his first ever S14 match, when Gregan was with the Brumbies
@GreenBlooded: Andre Watson also mentioned in that book of his that the best chirp he ever heard came from an Aussie during a Super game…Apparently both teams were talking and complaining the whole time until Watson blew his whistle and told them to stop trying to ref the game it sounds like 30 refs on the field..whereupon a chirp came…”Yeah mate..and you dont even make the top 10!”…..
@Woltrui: Nee ek het nie die ref gem#er nie. Soos ek in my beste Engels probeer beskryf het, was ek net redelik g@tvol vir die ou se houding dat hy die belangrikste man op die veld was !
Nee wat ou Ploegskaar is redelik ordentlik met sy kommentaar! Hy het wel ‘n goeie chirp gegee teen Bishops na ‘n goeie “tackle” van een van die plaaslike manne, skree hy die volgende: “Welcome to the buuurrrbs – the Northern Suburbs !!” Warren Cullinan just turned away and laughed at his friend’s comments !
Ploeg is mos ‘n Boland Landbou-man en ek en hy sien mekaar dus nie te veel langs die veld nie.
@star: It’s called the “22 Club”. I hold Life Member status for outstanding service……
@beet: Refereeing has changed drastically over the past 10-15 years. Andre Watson’s biography speaks about how referees were NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK during games. They just blew and indicated. The buzzword for the last 10 years or so has been about MANAGEMENT of the game. This means speaking to players all the time – trying to ‘talk away’ penalties. Interesting you mentioned Stuart Berry – he is a master at this. The fewer times you blow the whistle – the more attractive the game. When top referees are assessed – a big factor in the assessment is the penalty count as it is a direct measure of how well they managed aspects of the game. You will hear the ambitious guys trying to get onto national panels saying things like “……by doing X/Y/Z I’ve managed to get my scrum penalties down from 10 to 6”.
The latest buzzword as I mentioned earlier is now EMPATHY – understanding the game and refereeing the clear and obvious stuff that has a direct influence on play. Ian McIntosh once said that the following should be appended to every law in the book: “……..only if it affects the continuity of play”. Good point and one that I agree with.
The people who howl from the side-lines probably do not understand these terms or the reason behind it and probably leave a match thinking that the referee “missed a great game” but probably didn’t realise that he witnessed a spectacle of running rugby because the referee didn’t spend the game finding reasons to raise the whistle to his lips.
Fitness: yup – we all have to be fit. Fitness tests are conducted – typically the famous ‘bleep test’ and more recently the “Yo-Yo test” which is more appropriate to referees. A guess you need to be a little fitter to run and shout than to just run – difficult to try and quantify. As for blowing something you would let go just to stop and have a breather. Eish……got to admit I have done that a few times…
@BuffelsCM: Geagte Mnr Buffels C M: Jy noem dat jy dit verloor het. Het jy die ref gemoer?
Ek verstaan Mnr Ploegskaar is die hoof “chirper” van refs daar in die “diep suide”. Klink soos die terrible twins van die Kaap. 
@ Greenblooded- did you not say that was an award if a try was scored and you (the ref) were not inside the 22. How many times has it happened to you?
TheRainman strikes again.
@GreenBlooded: A very good comment again GB.
I remember Wayne Erikson of Aus being the first ref who really talked to players on the field, almost coached them to avoid making mistakes at the ruck. That’s become the norm at senior level now. The top refs are able to encourage players to do the right thing to avoid conceding a penalty. Stuart Berry provided a perfect example during the JWC Eng vs NZ match. He had several opportunities to ping England for infringements in their redzone, instead he instructed them to leave the ball alone. As a result NZ did not lose the initiative and eventually scored in the corner.
Now I visualise what I expect will happen during MHS vs Hilton tomorrow. The Midlands ref will look to ping each and every mistake made at the ruck and altho he probably won’t be wrong in any of his decision, I have to wonder is it not a case that the refs up there are less reluctant to talk to players while the ball is in play.
My question for you is: how much fitter percentage wise does a ref have to be, to be able to keep up with action and do the communication bit as well? I assume that a ref needs extra energy to do this + if the game flows more, there are less stoppages to catch his breath???
@GreenBlooded: Your point about the referee being no 31 and NOT no1 is so valid !!
It has often happened that after a match, somebody would ask who the referee was. Had he blown poorly and (was no 1 on the field) everybody would know his name. When the game flows nicely you often don’t notice the referee.
A while ago, JC Fortuin was the referee for my U/15 side. He was so in control without being bossy. He stayed calm although he was chirped by some of the opposition players (and a few supporters). He simply gave another 10 metres when the latter happened but he didn’t shout at the players. It was a real pleasure having him as referee.
What pi##es me off though is when a referee is so far behind the play and make a bad call. 4 Years ago my team scored the winning try (so we thought at the time) about 2 minutes before the end of the game. The ref was on the 22 m line at the time and the pass was made 5m from the try line. He ruled that it was a forward pass……………unfortunately I almost lost it !! This specific referee is also known for being no 1 on the field !
@Tigger: Yes – well said on all points. A few of your very valid points that I’d like to expand on:
Field of Vision
Try this at home. Stand in your garden about 5m away from your favourite flower bed and take a photograph. That is what the referee sees. Back off to about 50m and take another photograph. That is what the spectator sees. It is a pure function of physics that the closer an observer is to something, the less he sees peripherally. It is a common error of beginner referees (and some experienced ones) that they tend to want to get right near the action. This causes them to miss stuff going on the outskirts. A common crit that referees get in their assessments is “You are too close to play”. The point here is this: spectators will ALWAYS have a better view of things than the ref because they are further away.
Application of Laws
When I did my beginners course in the early 90’s, the guy presenting the course told me 2 things which have stuck:
1. You are No 31 on the field. Not No 1. People come to watch players, not referees. The best referee is the one who is not noticed.
2. The lawbook is only a guide. If you blow according to every law in this book there will not be a game.
It is more about understanding the game and knowing when an infringement has had an effect of not. For example, a common one is the tackler not releasing but the tackled player has had freedom to place the ball. Yes – according to the law he should release the tackled player BUT his action has not impeded the tackled players right to place the ball, his team winning it or the game continuing. Yet you will hear the sideline expert howl “Ref – he HAS to release”. The buzzword is EMPATHY. That is what we strive for. Stuart Berry coined a phrase which is spreading like wildfire in refereeing circles.
“Blow the clear and obvious according to the law”
Are you still a member at DRRSS?? We probably know each other.
I agree 100% with GREENBLOODED’S thesis above. Well written and to the point! As one who has also been involved in Durban school boy rugby refereeing I would add the following ; The bunch of guys who are invoved in refereeing for the Durban Sub Society are amongst the nicest people I know. They are, on the whole, honest and fair and display a great amount of integrity. They are keen to learn and understand the rules better and how to apply them better. My involvement with them and their patience and help has made my time with rugby refereeing a great source of pleasure and I am sincerely grateful to them for this.
What one must also bear in mind when considering the merits of referees is the following:
The amount of rules in the game and how technical the game has become. Even at the referees meetings there are debates among the referees themselves as to how one who adjudicate a certain set of circumstances. In my mind there is always a tension between reffing to the letter of the law and reffing to the spirit of the law. If one refs to the letter of the law one could blow the game away completely with stop start every 2 minutes. On the other hand if you ref to the spirit of the game you could end up disregarding the rules completely for the sake of the flow of the game. Obviously one would like to get a balance in the middle so that while adhering to the fundamental rules of the game you would like to give the players enough room to excercise their talents and foster the smooth flowing of the game. It has been said before that if a referee is not noticed during the game he is probably doing a good job.
What also has to be taken into account of is the fact that the referee is not Superman with xray vision. It is quite possible that a referee may miss a critical point in the game that every supporter and his dog on the stands can see. It happened at the Junior World Cup in the game between Wales and South Africa and probably lost SA the game – you remember, the knock on before Wales’ try? When one, as a ref, is focused on the ball, and possibly running to stay in touch with the players there are blind spots all around you. Its one thing that I had to learn, not to get to close to the action because you lose your overall vision of whats happening around you.
Again, I say, I agree with GREENBLOODED 100%. Let us work positively towards improving refereeing and if you have some spare time come and join the reffereeing fratenity. They will welcome you with open arms and you WILL gain a greater insight into the game we all love and a greater appreciation for referees.
@Playa: I don’t mind incompetence to be honest because then it is mistakes both ways but for a side who were at least 30 points better to win like that says a lot.
So glad it backfired on him.
@kcman: The name has been edited, but I have a very good idea of who you’re talking about.I can attest!
Go to http://www.irblaws.com.Register and do the exam.Very interesring.
I am probably going to pick up a lot of negative comments after what I am going to write now. I am going to name a person and I sincerely hope the school bans him from refereeing any further rugby matches because he is not incompetent, he is an outright cheat. I will openly tell him this face to face if he so wishes.
2 Years ago on another blog there was a mention of a referee, ***[edited]. He always referees the u15A match when SAC host other schools on Lower Field. 2 Years ago I mentioned the blatant cheating he used to enable the SAC u15A to defeat the Kingswood u 15A side on K-Day, a few weeks previous to this he was also named as being a cheat when Grey High played on Lower.
Low and behold he was true to form this past weekend and nearly succeeded if it were not for a very fine Kingswood u15A who beat SAC 19-16 after being 16-7 behind with 4 mins to go. The boys took it in their stride and despite a ridiculous penalty count and many dubious decisions managed to hold their heads high and not be flustered by this ref. I do understand having spoken to various people who have a past experience of him when he was a master at Wynberg Boys High that cheating is the name of his game.
All I can say is that I hope that we never ever get to witness his refereeing talents again because he is bust tarnishing the fine name of SAC.
Now bring it on!!!!!
@BuffelsCM: Something I forgot to mention is the fact that I’ve coached at every age group except U/16 and was a referee at mini rugby games (U/7, 8 and 9) for quite a while. The way grown ups carried on about their little boys’ rugby was incredible to watch.
I was verbally abused by parents and coaches as well. One day I actually stopped and walked towards a parent and offered him the whistle. He was complaining about a high tackle – it was marginal but at that young age you need to be very strict about that IMO – but I was playing advantage. He was quite embarrassed but I know I should not have done it either.
During another match, one referee actually stopped an under 9 match because of the ranting of the parents. These 2 incidents I have referred to took place when we played some of the most affluent schools in our neighbourhood. Like one parent mentioned to me: “Money can’t buy you class !!”
@GreenBlooded: Thanks for the comprehensive views and info about referees ! Well written and a “must read” for all spectators especially.
I have expressed my views about many spectators not knowing the laws of the game a while ago. It really is a thankless job. Unfortunately some referees are not up to standard and the relevant schools or refereeing societies should therefore not reappoint them every Saturday.
Our school has started a “grading” system. The rugby coordinator usually asks the coaches about the competencies of the referees after their respective matches. Obviously you need to be objective when giving you “review” of the specific referee.
I have spoken to a referee who happens to be a parent. According to him, many referees are not “active” anymore, meaning that they don’t attend the weekly sessions held by the local referee society. During these meetings they discuss certain rulings about the previous weekend etc. It often happens that schools use the same referees at every home game. When a referee is not active, he usually doesn’t brush up on the latest laws which can cause potential conflict in a close match.
2 Years ago during my team’s match at inter schools, we had a referee at the U/19B match who could not keep up with the pace of the game. He was so overweight with a big “boep” as well. Fortunately he did not cost us the game (although he tried) but this is really not on.
Ay our last home game, I was watching an U/15B match and could watch from a distance(meaning I’m not their coach and therefore was a bit calmer). The referee was perhaps a bit too technical and blew the whistle very loudly for every infringement. Our team won quite comfortably in the end but it was a tough game for about 80% of the time.
The young coach of the opponents went absolutely mad at times. At one stage he was at least 5 metres inside the field of play and shouted to the referee: “JOU DOM AAP” which was clearly terrible behaviour. He questioned virtually every call against his team and according to him, the ref cost them the game.
When the referee left the field at the end of the match, about 6 to 8 spectators (some first team players included!) formed a semi-circle around him and gave him a sarcastic applause. Unfortunately this school is not known for their sportsmanship. Next year we have to play them away again – I’m so not looking forward to that day !!
Afrigters en ouers se optredes teenoor skeidsregters is skandalig Ek skaam my vir ons nasie Dik ooms en tannies wat self nie eers kan hardloop nie en 20% vir hul eksamens sal kry Geen wonder niemand wil meer blaas nie
Kearsney vs College 1st Hockey cancelled. Seems the flu has reached Hillcrest.
@GreenBlooded: Thanks GB.
Sorry my English not so good. Meant to say if over the plane of touch. A lesson I learnt as an u13 playing touch judge during a game when I was overruled by the ref.
Excellent post about the referees up above.
@beet: Yes – the ball is still in play in both cases. However your further explanation would depend on whether the ball crossed the plane of the touchline. A player in touch can knock or kick the ball back into the field of play provided it has not crossed the plane of the touchline.
In your question – definitely b-knock on.
@beet: b) knock on
B)a knock on
Here is 1 from me:
1) while trying to catch a pass a player clearly drops the ball forward off his fingertips. As the falling ball makes contact with the ground, he strikes it with his foot and the ball sails over the opposition’s posts.
Is it:
a) a drop goal
b) a knock on
c) the dumbest thing you have ever read in your life so you are not going to answer
@GreenBlooded:
Pop Quiz: A player jumps up and deflects a ball which is heading into touch back into the field of play. When the player lands his feet are in touch. Is the ball in touch or not?
Yikes! I hope I’m not wrong on no.1 but the way I understand it is the ball is still in play. However if the player is outside the field of play when and jumps up to knock the ball, then lands inside the field of play, the ball is out
Pop Quiz: The ball deflects off of the corner post into in-goal. If the ball in touch, in touch in goal or neither?
Neither, the ball is still in play.
a,ball is in touch
b,ball is still in play
@Amalekite: Same answers. The corner post is not in touch, only the line. Unless the ball touches the line or crosses it, it is in play.
@Amalekite: I would have gone with the same answers. This will show the Westville bloggers up one way or the other?
@GreenBlooded: @beet: Why don’t you start a thread where GreenBlooded can give us a daily pop quiz on the laws with answers the following day. We could all improve our law knowledge.
@GreenBlooded: Spot on.
)
A good example is that I am hesitating about both answers to your pop quiz above
I will go with the following:
a) The ball is deemed in touch if the player lands outside the field of play.
b) Neither
Let’s see what the others answer (without googling
@Westers: Surprisingly, the players know the laws very well at 1st / 2nd / A / B team level. Always difficult trying to answer schoolboys when you make a cock-up. Their law knowledge is generally excellent at the better rugby schools. It is the SPECTATORS who think they know it all but don’t.
@CRC: Lot’s of boys from College and Hilton who have done their course at Midlands. Probably bumped into your boy a few times. A few from House and Treverton as well. Good on them. Encourage him to stick it out. The abuse – I can guarantee you it will happen. Vasbyt!!
@Griffonfly: Can see straight away that you see the Big Picture of school sport!!
@Amalekite: “Why don’t we see the Society refs from the earlier games maning the touch lines?” Midlands always appoint AR’s for the main games at College, Hilton, Michaelhouse and maybe one or two others. Durban do not but the referees of the U16A and 2nd often do so of their own free will. The benefit of this is obvious – AR’s can report on foul play incidents which the referee may or may not see. To the casual observer, the function of an AR seems dead simple. Not so – some very tricky laws about whether the ball is in touch or not which need to be instinctive and which a qualified ref will know. Schoolboy TJ’s simply would not know how to make some of the more complex line calls.
Pop Quiz: A player jumps up and deflects a ball which is heading into touch back into the field of play. When the player lands his feet are in touch. Is the ball in touch or not?
Pop Quiz: The ball deflects off of the corner post into in-goal. If the ball in touch, in touch in goal or neither?
;)
@Woltrui: In die makroskole is dit net Rustenburg Hoer.Grootskole Klerksdorp Hoerskool en Potch Gimnasium(speel na vakansie vir wenner)Medium skole Bergsig en Wolmarranstad
@CRC: I take my hat off to him. It would be great to try and recruit more boys to the game. I believe there is a boy from MHS that has also taken up reffing.
It might be a good idea to make all 1st team players write a reffing exam at the start of each season to make them realise what a difficult job it is. Might also teach some of them the rules a bit better.
@GreenBlooded: Thanks for the illuminating posts. I wish everyone understood that refs are all just out there doing their best and contributing to allow games to happen. The issue of attrition is a serious one and by our behaviour we should be encouraging more refs to sign up. Apart from playing my son has also decided to take up refereeing and I have supported him in the decision. Not only has he already learnt a lot more about the game but it is good to see him giving a bit back. The courses he has attended have been well run and professional and he has got wonderful support so far from everyone involved so far at the Maritzburg Society. I don’t know how I am going to react down the line when some yobbo abuses him from the side because I know he is just doing it because of a love of the game.
@ Greenblooded . I probably did not make myself clear and I used the incorrect terminology.
The boys need to play the game without being provoked. They need to channel their emotions into playing the game, and not let the ref disrupt their focus on the game. There will be calls they will not like, but accept it, and play what is in front of them. They can’t change it.
Life is like this, you will have parents, teachers and bosses you will not agree with or not like, but learn from this and move on.
You are correct that the boys need to listen to the ref, as you have had first hand experience of this.
An excellent article which certainly aids in understanding the refs.
My perception of reffing changed after I sat next to GreenBlooded during a game and listened and asked questions. I think it was at this encounter that I learnt that there are rules and rule interpretations as well as focus areas e.g. dangerous tackles, scrumming etc. While I have been watching rugby for more decades than I’d like to admit, have read up on the rules and am BokSmart compliant, I realise that I cannot possibly understand these rules properly as someone on the sidelines. When I hear there are over 40 things to be aware of in a line out (if I remember correctly).
I would love to see the BokSmart guidelines being followed on every field at every game. Most specifically the zoned off area. I would love to see the players being the focus of the game rather than the ref. Seriously if the players are playing to the rules, the ref could almost be invisible and the game could flow. The old saying of “its not illegal unti the ref blows it” is like saying its okay to kill people until you get caught. I would also like to see parents (coaches and other officials) showing respect to the ref so that their kids do as well. In U12 rugby I heard a player swearing at the ref on the field, using the same words his father was doing from the side line. The kid shouldn’t be using that language and especially not to an official on the field. I would also love to see the A teams, 1sts and 2nds having the kind of fun that the lower teams have due to the lack of pressure from the field sides. I would also love to see more responsibility in the provincial players – you should see how the U7s try copy some of their unprofessional behaviour.
There is an old psychology saying “Behaviour breeds behaviour” – what the child sees the parents doing, the child will also do.
@Predator: Sometimes a person can only laugh at the emotions at school rugby matches. I once watched a U/9 game in the small schools league between two primary schools in Mpumalanga. The one laaitie’s father starting to scream to his son “bliksem hom, bliksem hom!”. U/9 match
If the emotion is out of the match (you are not the coach or your kid is not playing) the referee’s, at A and first team schools level, get it right 99% of the time. @noordwes: Noordwes wie het in julle streek in die Beeld semifinale gespeel en wie het gewen?@GreenBlooded: Maybe it is time that the schools which parents is out of hand get named and shamed by the referee’s. There is unluckily certain schools who are always involved in this kind of marakas.
I feel for the refs.
Everyone needs to realise that there would be no game without a ref.
The boys need to be told to respect him at all times. In my day, our captain told us that he was the only one who would be talking to the ref.
I have watched countless SBR games. Yes, the refs do make mistakes. They are only human. Some are better that others, but they are all just trying their best for our benefit.
Biased? Very seldom have I ever felt this. There have been times when one senses that the bad behaviour of a team can influence a ref to be a bit harsher on them. If this happens, then one can only say that they brought it upon themselves.
Spectators that abuse/criticise the refs from the stands ought to be ashamed of themselves. I have witnessed younger siblings (about 10 years old) of players monkey their parents’
behaviour – very sad to see where it starts.
Just one question – I have attended game days at various schools where the A games and the second team game are reffed by Society refs. Then, for the most important game of the afternoon, the 1st team game, the ref is assisted by 2 touch judges that seem to be randomly/hastily selected from the 2 schools. These youngsters are often in Grade 8 and can often be influenced by players and spectators. Why don’t we see the Society refs from the earlier games maning the touch lines?
When we played College on Saturday, it was brilliant. They had a society ref as well as both touch judges. All 3 had head pieces to communicate with one another.
Finally, thank you to all the refs for your selfless time and effort!
Hats of to all referees that are still prepared to blow at school level. I will never ever make it because I dont take verbal abuse good at all ,..way to agressive retaliation from my side. It is the parents and school personel that is fueling this sick system. This is the example that they set for the kids as well,,..monkey see monkey do!!!. I would urge all refs to simply walk of the field hand the whistle to the headmaster of the abusive school and leave ,..and refuse to blow there ever again. ,…..this terrible, unsportmanlike behaviour must be stopped at all cost.
@Greenblooded -thank you for a very insightful and well written answer.
I have reffed for about 12 years at the lower leagues a a member of 4 provincial societies (work makes me travel a bit) – and also had the privellege of reffing in a number of provinces and internationally.
Reffing is not easy – and KZN is one of the societies/unions that treats their refs well. I can assure you that Mpumalanga and the Golden Lions are not as kind to the ref (this may well have changed – so I speak only from my own experience).
Yes – been abused when you are only doing your best – not a great experience. The reward of having the loosing captain saying thank you sir – you reffed a great game (and meaining it) – priceless – that was always my aim.
It is an age old – global issue – how does one get the best if it is on a volunteer only basis. I guess the same for kids club coaches.
My favourite reffing memories have always been of school games in the KZN Midlands – the Hilton/MHS was always a favorite to ref at (any level). And KZN school boys are generally well behaved (from almost all schools). I did the Port Natal/Voortrekker 2nds once and it was a brilliant affair.
I also support your claim that the Appointment official is the most difficult job around. Herding cats or headless chickens will probably be far easier. They are probably the people that really make SA rugby tick over (the oil of the engine).
Thank you to ALL officials and volunteers involved in the game. I do not have the time and miss my time reffing (I know it would help my waistline out
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@star: I don’t interact with coaches at halftime. At all. Ever. If they approach me I chase them away. After the match I will engage with the coach if he initiates a discussion and if he is in a calm frame of mind. Otherwise I suggest that he speak to me after my shower when he has had time to cool off. Spectators/parents – sorry but I do not owe them an explanation for anything. If they have a problem – take it up through the proper channels via the teams coach. If it is a polite approach and inoffensive – no problem.
Bias – eish. There have no doubt been studies conducted on the topic by PhD types at universities – Psychology people – on this topic which probably drill down into it. Maybe you are right on some level. I just refuse to believe that a referee arrives at a match with the idea that “I am going to blow this match to make sure that Westville U15A beats College U15A today”. Far more likely to be thinking “I hope I do well today and give these 30 boys the best game I possibly can”. Sub-conscious. Hell – way over my head. I have C&P something I found below – quite interesting.
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Do “homey” or “homer” referees truly exist and how is that manifested?
Several studies have been released over the years outlining sports officials’ differential treatment of home versus away teams.
In 2009, University of Bath researcher Dr. Peter Dawson led a group of fellows who analyzed officiating statistics from 1,717 UEFA Cup and Champions League matches.
Though Dawson’s study was centered on determining which nationality of referee is the biggest homer—he concluded the answer is Portugese—his study also concluded that referees as a whole tend “to favor home teams.”
In 2002, University of Wolverhampton lead researcher Alan Nevill and his crew concluded that crowd noise “influenced referees’ decisions to favor the home team.”
Nevill asked qualified soccer referees to analyze various challenges which had been recorded on videotape, either with or without sound. Nevill found that when the variable of crowd noise was introduced, the referees called 15.5 percent fewer fouls against the home team.
Talk about home-field advantage.
It is important to note that both studies were confined to post-match analyses; neither study actively observed officials on the pitch.
Regardless, formal and informal analyses all over the globe—from La Liga in Spain to the Thai Premier League in Thailand—have found this alleged “homey effect.”
Alas, most of these studies only found the existence of the “homey effect” and stopped there. These studies did not determine whether the homey effect is a subconscious or a conscious phenomenon.
A study led by Harvard’s Ryan Boyko, on the other hand, answered this vital question.
Bokyo and his team determined that the “homey effect” operates subconsciously; referees are neutral and impartial in the realm of consciousness.
Specifically, Boyko postulates that “While subconscious referee bias does not necessarily make home advantage unfair, our finding of significant variation in home advantage by referee is hard to accept as fair.”
In other words, when the average fan perceives that a referee has called more fouls against the visitors than the home team, the fan is unable to justify this natural and subconscious effect.
The fan then falls prey to psychological repetition and builds a model of referee homerism, that a pro-home team call is not legitimate and is the work of conscious manipulation. This of course, is not true.
Sports officials are human and as such, are subject to human ills. Wertheim and Moskowitz stated it quite clearly: “refs aren’t… to blame.”
Moskowitz also theorized the “homey effect” as it relates to referee decision making: “If you can make a call that 50,000 people will agree with or make the call that causes them to say unprintable, nasty phrases at you, it is natural to want to alleviate some of that pressure.”
The Los Angeles Times’ Douglas Farmer summed it up as “subconscious submission to peer pressure.”
All verifiable studies decidedly concluded the “homey effect” is due to subconscious variations in play calling—not due to a conscious attempt to manipulate or “throw” the game.
Sports officials are held to the highest of ethical standards—the idea is to provide each team with an equal opportunity to win.
Officials do not consciously make calls to benefit the home team at great detriment to the visitors. The insinuation of a proficient referee deliberately throwing a game so that the home team will unfairly win is an absurd proposition.
It goes against everything officials across all sports are taught from day one of referee or umpire class.
Employing the “Referees are people, too” angle is a double-edged sword in the world of sports.
On the one hand, playing the card might induce an especially abusive coach to tone down his criticism and see things from another perspective.
On the other hand, such a claim confirms that referees, like coaches, players and fans, fall prey to the adverse effects of home-field advantage.
Yet another reason to play at home.
@GreenBlooded: Very well said I think all and sundry should step back and think a second before they open there mouths about the Ref,s they should try and do it themselves sometime.
Greenblooded
My 10 cents say here – the lightie played for one of the open semi-social teams at Northwood 2 weeks ago – I thought the ref had an OK game , but not the players – they came off bitching about the ref – (although they won comfortably) I witnessed the ref “Red carding” (not literally) 3 or 4 Glenwood parents and he chased them off the sidelines – they were obviously chirping the ref all though I saw no reason for this – The kids were all complaining that after the game the ref refused to shake the hands of the Glenwood boys – so who wants to be a ref then !!!
@ Greenblooded- You have made my head sore. Maybe a series of episodes would be better for my old brain
I was always told to never say never. You say that a ref will never be biased. I disagree.This can happen on a sub-conscious level. The example above the touch judge was biased because he felt intimidated. On Saturday a College coach went on to the field at halftime to have a discussion with the ref.What effect did that have? The U14A ref I think actually blew in favor of Westville but I spotted him afterwards being interogated by an individual and having to account for a mistake or 2. What will be his mindset next time? At DHS during the U15A game I watched a penalty clearly missing the poles being called good. I joked to some people to my left that that seemed a bit harsh. The defensive backlash was incredible. Later the U16A ref walked past greeting me and went on to that same DHS team in the corner( obviously close friend or family). He is also a DHOB. Is it not possible that when Westville were being blown and could not get back in the game, that on some level there was some bias given his circumstances.. Maybe an extra sausie on the family braai. I am just saying that we are all human and that the accountability of refs is as important as controlling those yobs who put undue pressure on the sidelines.
I think all of you heard the story about a ref at primaryschool game.During the game he called both captains,he told them he is going to sit on pavilion.They must listen when he blows he whistle he will show them what to do.He then sat on the pavi and start the game again.The parents asked him whats his problem.His answer:Its clear that you can see better from the pavi whats going in on the field the way you are shouting at me.
@Westers: Agreed. Greenblooded is gonna hate me for turning his unedited comment into a post (again) but that is the price you pay for delivering quality around here.
@GreenBlooded: No,but the schools in North West are about 100km away from each other.Last weekend semi-final time 40km from Potch with a lot of Puk Academy refs.Or the can blow schools from out of town.
@noordwes: The coach of the teams doubling as waterboys / first aiders. Arrrrggghhh. I can’t stand it. Coaches belong in the technical zone of their teams or preferably in the stands. Why does there need to be a roving medic on each side for each team? The medics can get to an injured player marginally quicker from the middle. If the team is well coached then there should be no need for a coach to coach them from the sideline. As for them trying to influence the match officials – makes my blood boil. The school I support, I am sad to say, are particularly guilty here. A simple law change will solve this scourge: No person other than the assistant referee may be in the area between the touchline and edge of the playing enclosure without the permission of the referee. Any person associated with a team we transgresses earns a penalty against their team!! Problem solved.
The anecdote you mention is just another symptom of what I mentioned in my main post – a guy thrown into the deep end and asked to box above his weight division and completely intimidated by the occasion because there is no-one better to do it. Or he is just a useless doos who should give up. You decide.
Referees from the town at schoolboy level – what else do you expect? Referees from Durban ref school matches in Durban. Referees from Cape Town ref school matches in Cape Town. Do you expect the schools to fly referees around the country for school matches??
@Griffin supporter: Mate – I don’t know what happened. I have heard stories from both sides. I also know the kid concerned. I do not know the father. Very hard for me to judge. I have no doubt that the ref over-reacted somewhat but I also ask what lead him up to this? Refs don’t generally arrive at the field looking for confrontation. He must have been extremely provoked to react like that. Not an excuse if he behaved badly but perhaps some context. I do not know the ref concerned. I have seen him around but don’t know him at all and have never seen him ref so I don’t know how competent he is.
@Greenblooded…appreciate the response..and will pass on!
In reference to the incident were you state “all involved should hang there heads in shame”:I hope that includes the ref?
The ref is in the position to set an example and should always behave appropiately…to take an incident that took place off the field on to the field and red card a young man who never swore at the ref…which is disputed as you put so nicely…..! The u 15A game should have been a really entertaining game..with College always been the favourites..but its a shame that the ref had no control from kick off.
@Griffonfly: I would definitely not say the boys should learn to ignore the referee. That would be a recipe for disaster. I think what you probably mean is quite the opposite – listen to the referee and adapt. Then the referee becomes a non-entity in the equation. I for example am a stickler for fair contests at the set phases. Put the damn ball in straight at the scrums and line outs so that there is a fair contest or I WILL blow you. I tell teams this at the pre-match briefing. Don’t whinge when it happens when you have been warned. The same goes for the breakdown – what one referee allows in terms of the tackler holding on may be unacceptable to another. There are 2 options here – adapt to the ref on the field and avoid the penalties OR spend the game ignoring him, bitching at him and incurring the penalties. Discretion/valour stuff.
I have reffed Westville many times. Twice this season, 3 times last season and twice at the @lantic 7’s last year as well as AR for the 1st team on about 5 occasions in the last 2 years. I refrained from commenting on them above because it will just sound like malice from a Glenwood supporter. All I will say is that on SOME, NOT ALL, of these occasion the trouble starts in the stands and in the coaches box and filters rapidly onto the field. I say this constructively – Westville needs to sort out their supporters. The boys will probably fall into line if they do. Once again – my perception as a match official. Feel free to disagree.
Not that it matters, but in all of the games mentioned above, Westville have won well to handsomely except one of the 7’s matches where they lost narrowly. I say this in case there are those who believe that my anti-Westville comments here affect the way I blow them. They certainly do not. When I referee any rugby match I owe it to the 30 players on the field and to myself to see 2 sets of boys in 2 sets of jerseys. Nothing more nothing less. Clear conscience.
Last weekend it was the semis of the Beeldtrofee in Leopards country.In one of the first team games the following happened.There was a marginal high tackle.The coach of the teams also doubled as waterboys/first aid guys.At this stage the coach of the team said to the linesman that it was a hightackle he must put his flag out.After the linesman put his flag out he asked the coach if it was a cardeble offence.The coach replied that he must advise the ref that it is a yellowcard.Sanity prevailed and the ref only gave a penalty.The same linesman reffed the 0/14 game where he made numerous mistakes.
The problem is that the union want to cut back on costs so the appoint refs from the town in which the games are played.
AS julle wonder of het dit al gebeur of is dit besig om te gebeur en of gaan dit nog gebeur,hier in ons wereld praat ons maar min Engels.
@GreenBlooded: Great write up.
Beet, can I suggest you store this masterpiece and publish it as an article at the start of next season (and every season thereafter).
Morning Greenblooded
Thanks for the thesis. Will definitely pass onto other parents. We as parents often have a lot to learn.
The boys have to learn to ignore the referee and play the game. At times they get to distracted by the referee to their detriment. This is however a learning experience for them as well. Unfortunately it is in the genes with some of the boys as can be seen by the parents on the side lines.
You did mention a lot of schools, but you did not mention Westville boys, is this good or bad?
@GreenBlooded: Excellent piece, thanks.
Can I suggest that this get published to school web-sites and even sent out as part of the pre-season rugby build-up.
As one who has reffed mini-rugby, for no other reason than I weighed 25kg less than all the other dads in the games we played, I can tell you that it is MUCH harder than it looks. You might think you know all the laws, but try applying themin the heat of battle, with 30 kids going at it like banshees and their parents exhorting them like the next Pat Lambie.
I am often asked – where or who are the best teams to ref. In MY experience and in general, I would ref ANY school match before ANY club match. If you think the behaviour at schools is bad then the clubs are DISGUSTING. And they wonder why club rugby is dying. As far as schools go, there are definitely some that are better than others. I will definitely not name and shame here but I will mention some of the better ones. Again this is MY opinion based on MY experiences. There are 3 aspects to this – the players (schoolboys) and spectators (parents) and the coaches. There is a definite correlation between parents, coaches and players patterns of behaviour – players definitely take their cues from their coaches and most times from their spectators. Most flare-ups on school rugby field happen when there is a hostile crowd. So from my experience:
Michaelhouse: My favourite team to ref. The boys are impeccably respectful as are the coaches and spectators. I made the biggest blunder of my career last year in a Michaelhouse match – too embarrassing to reveal the details here – yet the boys questioned me in a respectful manner as did the coach afterwards. I think he said “It’s OK – you can stop blushing now”. The Michaelhouse spectators just laughed – I certainly deserved worse. I have reffed them twice in the past 2 years, most recently having to red-card a boy. Not a single sign of dissent from player, coach or parent. They are truly a credit to the game.
Hilton: I have never reffed them but I hear good things.
Kearsney: Similar to Michaelhouse. Players a lot more questioning by always respectful. Never had an issue with a Kearsney coach. Some bad apples among the supporters. Definitely a great team to ref. Had a bad experience with an opposition team of theirs once – these boys restrained themselves to such an extent against a physical and verbal onslaught from their opponents which was a credit to them.
Glenwood / College / DHS: Coaches are generally well behaved 95% of the time. The supporters are so-so, mostly respectful with a few bad apples. The boys are ALWAYS respectful. It points to an internal discipline structure at these schools when boys do not follow the spectators pattern.
Many Tier 2 schools – some good, some bad some terrible and 2 that I point blank refuse to ref at. You know it cannot be you when the abuse starts, from both sets of supporters, from kickoff and doesn’t let up until the final whistle.
IRB Panels can be seen here: http://www.irb.com/training/officialpanels/index.html
SARU Panels can be seen here: http://www.sareferees.com/about-sa-refs/panels
@Griffin supporter: OK – as promised. So much for the Baby Boks……
You are correct – the quality of refereeing at school level is not great at times and I will try and point out the reasons for this. You make reference to ‘the same schools time and again’ – by which I assume you mean Maritzburg College. Please understand that the school does not provide the referees at A team level. Typically what happens is the hosting school will utilize it’s school masters to referee the lower level matches (B / 3rds and below) and request referees from the society for the A teams, 1st and 2nd. THEY PAY FOR THESE REFEREES. MC actually go down to about 4th team and B team – the only school to do so as far as I know. From Maritzburg upwards, referees are appointed by the Midlands Rugby Referees Sub Society based at Woodburn Stadium and under the chairmanship of Kamal Rugbar. MC, St Charles, Voortrekker, Hilton and further in a NE direction. For the Durban area (south until Toti, north until Stanger, west until Kearsney), referees are appointed by the Durban Rugby Referees Sub Society based at Kings Park Stadium and under the chairmanship of Alan O’Connell. The schools request referees for certain matches, the society appoints them. The school has NO SAY in who gets appointed to which game. In terms of active membership (referees who actually ref matches) the Midlands Society is at a guess one third the size of the Durban Society.
Referee Grading and Panels
Once a referee as completed a beginners training course, he becomes a candidate referee and is appointed to junior school matches to cut his teeth (U14D/E/F typically). Often a qualified and experienced ref will ‘shadow’ the candidate which means he runs around the field with him giving guidance until he can fly on his own. Refereeing is a lot like welding. One can read the books, watch the videos, watch others and listen to all the lectures in the world but doing it on the park is a whole other matter. SIDELINE EXPERTS – TATOO THIS ONTO YOUR FOREHEAD!!!! Once he has enough experience and the seniors are happy, he is appointed to a ‘panel’ – a list of referees who are of a certain grading. In the Durban Society this would be called 4B initially and as his experience and competence increases he would progress to 4A, 3B, 3A and 2. Thereafter he would be appointed to the KZN panels, SARU panels and ultimately IRB panels if you are Craig Joubert or Stuart Berry.
Appointments
There will always be controversy regarding appointments with accusations of favouritism etc but how it should work is as follows. The appointments secretary of the society starts off with a list of games for the weekend. He would start by finding out with any of his international, national or provincial panel referees are available to him. Craig Joubert’s first responsibility is to the IRB, failing to SARU, failing to KZN and ultimately to Midlands Society. The games are ranked into merit order. College vs Glenwood on Reunion day would rank higher than Voortrekker vs St Charles (sorry guys but it is). Voortrekker vs St Charles 1st would rank higher than Glenwood vs College U15A. You get the idea. Now the appointments secretary gets out his panel lists and starts with the highest panel and appoints these to the highest ranked games until he runs out of referees on that panel and then moves down to the next lowest panel. The best refs available on the day get the best games played on the day. To keep things fair – this is done on a PANEL basis and not on an INDIVIDUAL basis which is to say that the best ref may only get the 3rd best game on a day to give the others below him a chance at the best games. Then the poor guy needs to deal with games cancellations, refs injured/unavailable at the last minute, car won’t start etc etc etc. It has to be the most thankless task on earth.
Attrition
It stands to reason that for each referee who throws in the towel, his spot on whatever panel he is on will be taken by the NEXT BEST referee. If Craig Joubert gives up refereeing, his spot on the IRB panel will be taken by a referee who is not as good as he is. I for example am rated as the 4587th best referee in the world (thumb suck – I’m probably a lot worse) so then I would move into 4586th place and maybe even up onto a higher panel at Midlands. The overall quality has been reduced. For the much criticised referee in the U15A game on Saturday, he may well say “Stuff this Shit” and hang up his whistle – the result of which will be a WORSE referee than him doing the same game the following week. In a nutshell – the more referees who give up the craft, the worse the refereeing gets.
What are the attrition rates like? Well let’s start with recruitment. The number of recruits coming into the system is very very low. There is a course being presented by the Durban Society at the moment which is VERY POORLY attended. People signing up is declining every time. I think the are less than 10 on the current course. Of those that do join, probably as low as 40% will progress beyond the candidate stage and of those probably more than half will quit within a year. So of the 10 currently in class, 4 will get onto panels within a year and 2 will eventually quit leaving a final throughput of 2 referees. Not good.
Why is this?? NOW WE COME TO THE RUB!!!! To sign up to become a referee, one has to have a skin as thick as a Rhino with a bullet proof vest. It really takes a special type of person to hang his arse out weekend in and weekend out – specially in the beginning stages when you look like a headless chicken running around a field with howls from the sideline. I was part of a project recently to make it easier on a group of candidates coming off the Durban course. Through my involvement with Junior Rugby I suggested that candidates cut their teeth on mini-rugby to give them some confidence. So a group of 9 wet-behind-the-ears referees arrive at the venue, whistles in hand and start to ref the U7, U8 and U9 games. There is NO LOWER LEAGUE THAN THIS. After briefing the parents and coaches about this, and pleading with them to give the guys a chance (and some support) beforehand, only 5 of these 9 guys came back for more the following week. I’m not sure if the 4 have given up completely or not – maybe just shell-shocked an will return.
Training
Compared to players, referees are not well trained or well coached. Even at U14A level, players probably spend 3-4 hours a week practicing and maybe another hour of 2 in some form of conditioning program. By comparison, after completing his course, a referee is given very little in the way of training. He attends a law meeting every fortnight where a topic of law is discussed and are usually very informative. These are normally backed up by video clips from matches. Refer to the welding analogy above. In terms of coaching, he will occasionally be observed by a retired referee and coached on some aspects of his performance. Midlands are highly astute at this – I have been assessed and coached at 4 times this season already. While this is very good it pales in comparison to the hours of coaching the players get. In a nutshell, there is a HUGE disparity in the coaching and conditioning of players and the referees who ref at the same level. Not so for the guys on the SARU and IRB panels. Those guys are highly professional and the coaching/training and support structures around them are top dog. This is plain to see when Craig Joubert refs a school match.
The Solutions!!
The biggest problem with refereeing is that there are FAR too few referees. From both a recruitment and attrition aspect the figures are hugely alarming. The reasons for this are obvious. What is the reward for a referee? They get paid a pittance of a match fee (I think it is about R75 for a school game) and a km rate to cover the guys petrol. I personally have never claimed this but most do. So it is not for financial reward that is for sure. For most of us, we enjoy it despite the abuse we get – all we really get out of it is the satisfaction of having made a contribution and some personal self improvement. What he has to endure in the process is simply not worth it for 99% of sane human beings. I reffed one of the College / Westville matches this weekend. I reffed it to the best of my ability and as fairly as I possibly can. I personally assess myself afterward and gave myself 7/10 – made a few mistakes but did quite well I thought. I have yet to receive my official assessment for that match – we will see. We get down to towards the danger area for one of the teams – the most penalties by the defending team are ALWAYS conceded near the tryline – and I blow a perfectly legitimate attacking penalty for a breakdown infringement. Then I hear some knuckle-dragger on the sideline say “Don’t worry boys – we are playing against 16 men here” – this despite being 10-0 up on the board. Anecdotal but typical. This is the sort of BS you need to put up with. You either learn to ignore it or you let it get to you. I am a hot-head of note (s many bloggers here will confirm) and I have at times crossed the rope and taken on an abusive spectator. I don’t do that much anymore. Refereeing is good for self-control and anger management but it takes a while to work. The top guys say that they are completely tuned out to the crowd – most will tell you they do not even hear them.
So this is the main problem with refereeing and YOU THE SPECTATOR are it!!! If you want to be part of the solution then you need to change YOUR attitude and behaviour:
1. Get the idea out of your head that a referee is biased against your team. It is NEVER the case. What does a referee have to gain by deliberately blowing against one team? Money? In an U15A game? Really? What does he have to lose? A bad assessment and being dropped to a lower panel. Risk/Reward? Doesn’t make sense.
2. If you think you know how to ref – pick up a whistle and go and give it a bash. You will VERY QUICKLY discover that reffing from the sideline and from the middle are vastly different experiences. Easy watching someone else weld and telling him how useless he is until you pick up the torch yourself.
3. Stop making stupid and inane comments from the sideline. And encourage your mates to do the same.
4. Have a zero tolerance policy for those around you that abuse referees. Tell them so. Ostracise them.
5. Support your referees. If a player in your team has a bad game, you will console him and say ‘better luck next time’ but a referee having a bad game gets boo’ed off the field and told not to come back. Why the disparity??
If you want to see the refereeing improve than be part of the solution and not part of the problem. Change your behaviour and attitude and try to do the same in those around you. With attrition rates like they are, very soon the referees on the 2 panel will not know the touchline from the goalline. Then where will we be??
Training and coaching is a distant second in the problem stakes and something the referees societies need to work on but this also needs a buy in from the referees themselves. Not many would be prepared to make themselves available for training as often as players do even if it were available.
Whew – that was quite a thesis. Hope it goes some way to explain the situation and hopefully change some attitudes. The game will be better for it.
@Griffin supporter: Easy to point out obvious problems. Much more difficult to come up with solutions. I will write you an essay on this subject…….after the Baby Boks give Wales a klap. In the meantime – your homework assignment is to make some intelligent suggestions on how refereeing in general can be improved. We will see if we come to the same conclusions. You have 2 hours. Your time starts…………..NOW!!!
SORRY >>>CORRECTION ….the cause of uptight parents and frustrated PLAYERS!!
Herewith I throw my spanner in the works…@Greenblooded…the calibre of refs we are exposed to in many schoolboy games is not acceptable at all, the refs do not have control over the games and they do not know how to handle a pressurised situation when it is forced upon them. It is also discouraging to go to the same schools time and time again who consistently have un equipped officials who are mainly the cause of uptight parents and frustrated parents.
I hope that ref referred to in your above statement has implications to face for his disgusting and un professional actions. He set no example and just proved to all the players on the field how un professional he really was!
@Gungets Tuft: Hope it gets thrown out – Uber-Dad to foot all costs.
@Rugger fan: Sorry – I have lied and deceived you. That is not the case at all. It only applies to a situation in in-goal where a non-player touches the ball. I would imagine this was brought in to cover likely situations where teams are warming up in goal or spectators are taking a short cut across the field. This is what the law has to say:
6.A.10 THE BALL IN IN-GOAL TOUCHED BY NON-PLAYER
The referee judges what would have happened next and awards a try or a touch down at
the place where the ball was touched.
@Gungets Tuft: The more experienced guys will tell you that they totally tune out to spectator comments. Don’t even hear them. We are told to ignore the comments but often it is hard to. I do sometimes react but always regret it. You need to apply some reverse psychology to the situation – he is looking for a reaction from you so don’t give him the satisfaction of one. Easier said than done. The essential part is not to be intimidated by the comments and let them affect how you blow the game. You will definitly see in the younger guys a tendancy to blow in favour of the team with the loudest gobs on the sideline. A recipe for disaster.
@Rugger fan: In today’s rules, the referee may anticipate what would have happened in highly unusual circumstances. So in the anecdote you mention he could award a try if he was certain that one would have been scored. Not sure when this changed. We had a law exam question a few years back regarding a sniper shooting the ball as it was on it’s way to the uprights. Don’t know where these examiners come up with some of these pearls sometimes…….
I’ll try and find the law reference for this.
@Westers: @Gungets Tuft: The spectator cannot get a red card – this did not happen in Saturday’s incident. Depending on who you listen to, the ref stopped the game to ask that a disrespectful spectator be removed from the sideline, as he is entitled to do. The ref allegedly swore at the spectator (disputed) and the son, a player in the game then swore at the ref (disputed) which earned him a red card. I didn’t see the incident but have heard numerous reports on it – as I said the version varies depending on which side of the fence you sit. Either way, it is a disgrace and those responsible should hang their heads in shame.
The ref is entitled to stop a game and insist that a disruptive spectator be removed from the sidelines or removed from the premises completely.
It is hard for the school to discipline their parents – especially if it may just be a bunch of young guns out for an afternoon away from varsity/tech – and they have a few beers under the belt. A parent behaving badly (and interfering with the ref – agree – school can and should be involved).
@Westers – I am not so up to speed with the latest rules – but a ref used to be able to ask anyone to leave the playing area only. So no red card for anyone not involved in the game. A classic example was the Currie Cup match a few years back (in the FS?) where a spectator tackled a (WP?) break away wing with an open try line to win the match. Try not awarded – no penalty try could be awarded in terms of the rules. all the ref could do was restart the game with an attacking scrum – WP did not score – FS to the final which the Bulls won. And WP were the form team that year (if memory recalls correctly). So no red cards for spectators – but one of the current refs could bring more to light and correct me if needed please.
@Westers: It happened on Saturday. Parent got a red card, then the boy when he intervened. Eeisch.
My current bugbear is players appealing for reffing decisions. The whole 50/60/70 minutes you hear players screaming at the ref, (“offside ref”, “holding ref”, etc). They are getting it from senior rugby where you hear it all the time at Currie Cup, S15 and test level. Schools should be telling their boys to do their job, play rugby within the laws and to the limist of their ability, and leave the ref to do his/her thing.
GB – what is the referee take on that – do you just get irritated (surely!!) or do you eventually take action?
The other irritation is the celebrating of big hits, by the player and the crowd. My thoughts crystalised after a really big hit on a College U16 boy this year, my sons best mate (and a boy in our lift club – so it is personal), when the opposition celebrated liberally, even though he was knocked unconcious and out for 3 weeks.
Then I hear it all match long when someone gets hit hard on the field, the crowd cheers. I can’t stand it, it is NOT the point of the game and everyone should just relax. I am not picking on any particular school, they all do it, lessons learned from senior rugby again. I don’t know how you counter it, just venting …..
@GreenBlooded: At schoolboy games I think the issues should be addressed by the school whose parents are out of line. There are plenty of coaches and masters present at most games and where necessary they should take immediate action. Failing that, they should take immediate action the following week by summonsing offenders to a meeting in the Headmasters office wher ethe law should be laid down. Possible penalty for repeated offence would be banning parent from attending matches or sons exclusion from team to prevent occurence. Any parent should think twice if faced with this penalty.
A question for the ref. In rugby can a ref red card a spectator and ask them to leave the ground? I have seen it done at a high level in hockey.
Another issue which needs to be raised on this forum (another scourge which is threatening the enjoyment of the game) is the issue of “Supporters Behaving Badly” at matches. 2 very nasty incidents at College this weekend. No names or details neccessary – just a case of what do we do about it. It is getting worse and worse and some schools are far worse than others. It seems that the standard “NRU Code of Conduct” printed in the program is not having the desired effect. What could/should be done? We also have incidents in the junior club matches – even down to U7 level where vicarious parents are treating these mini-rugby matches like a test match. Fortunately these are the minority AT THE MOMENT but it seems to be getting worse and worse by the week.