Referees Corner – Article 10

Welcome to another edition of referees corner. As I write we are looking forward to our mid-season seminar which takes place this week, more of which you will hear about in later editions. The Leinster Rugby Referees strives amongst other things to always improve the circumstances in which its members operate, their knowledge and education and it is in this regard, that we hold such seminars.

We are delighted and looking forward to having Gordon D’Arcy, former international player and now journalist as one of our guest speakers.  We will also be joined by Dr Olivia Hurley, Sport psychologist, who has done a great deal of work with the Irish team.  She will address the psychology of refereeing. It promises to be an exciting gathering of the ARLB. We are all greatly looking forward to this meeting.

Alongside our annual seminar and our mid-season seminar we hold monthly area meetings where all our members get the opportunity to hone their skills or learn new skills as well as, more importantly, spend time with fellow referees. These area meetings are run by our local area representatives and are facilitated by the national panel referees. The topics are the same in each of the five areas, which allows for greater consistency in delivery. February sees the topic of Control and Communication being discussed and this topic will be delivered by Helen O’Reilly, Paul Haycock, John Carvill, Colm Roche and Nigel Correll.

Leinster Schools Cups – The Referees Favourite time of year.

The first thing most referees look forward to after the Christmas period is the Bank of Ireland sponsored Leinster Schools Senior and Junior Challenge Cups. The draw which took place in December kicks this off, but it is the selection of referees that is greatly anticipated. Our referees are looking forward to their appointments, with the Senior Cup kicking off with the mouthwatering Dublin 6 derby of Terenure College and St Marys College. The Junior Cup kicks off when Clongowes Wood College take on Castleknock College on February 3rd

Refereeing a schools cup game, be it on the great new surface in Donnybrook, the RDS, or any other club in Leinster is one of the highlights of any referees career. Not every referee gets to do one so being selected makes it a bit more special. Some referees may never have played to that level in schools, some may not have played rugby in schools at all and some are reliving past glories on the D4 pitch. Whilst any schools cup game is special for the players, it is equally special for the referee. Some referees may never be lucky enough to referee a game in front of a big crowd again, others may never referee on TV again, so it is an opportunity to be cherished.

Eight 2019 Leinster Schools Senior Cup games will be shown on UK-based TV station Freesports, it has been announced. They will show the opening round clash between Belvedere and Roscrea, before screening the four quarter-finals, two semi-finals and the final.

In round one, Dermot Blake referees Belvedere v Roscrea on TV, John Carvill referees Newbridge v St Gerards, Marcus Casey referees Gonzaga.v Castleknock, Andrew Cole referees St Marys v Terenure, Cillian Hogan referees Wesley v Clongowes, Helen O’Reilly referees Pres Bray v Blackrock College,  Colm Roche referee Kilkenny v St Michaels, and Brian MacNeice referees the final game where the Qualifiers from the Vinnie Murray Cup meet. Good luck to all referees.

European Appointments

Congratulations to Michael Carroll who was Assessor for Agen V Harlequins last week, Nigel Correll was touch judge for Racing v Scarlets, Sean Gallagher refereed Worcester v Stade Francais and Paul Haycock was touch judge for Toulouse v Bath. Great to see such strong representation from our referees in Europe.

Want to get involved?

Feel free to make contact with the Leinster Rugby Referees at denis.collins@leinsterrugby.ie or contact by phone Denis Collins at 01-2235107 or Sean Gallagher at sean.gallagher@irfu.ie. If you are interested in becoming a referee get in contact with us through our Facebook and Google + pages, our website www.arlb.ie or through twitter @leinsterreferee.