Referees Corner – The David Keane Interview

David Keane is a familiar face in IRFU refereeing circles for many years, and is now heavily involved with World Rugby as a referee selector. David has had a huge impact on many referees’ careers over the years including my own. When I picked up the phone way back in 2001 looking to take up refereeing, it was David Keane at the other end, offering advice and setting me on my way. We have been friends ever since. We recently caught up to discuss all things rugby refereeing, sevens and the Olympics.  

David, you started out refereeing at quite a young age. What got you into refereeing?

I was a student in Clongowes Wood College and I had to give up playing because of an injury.  Ned Cummins who was working in the college was a distinguished member of the Leinster Referees and encouraged me to take it up.  I started with some U13 games and then made my debut at 17 for the Leinster Referees, taking charge of an U19 fixture between Monkstown FC and UCC RFC.  When I left school, I continued to referee in Leinster and move up through the ranks.

You refereed your first senior game at the age of 21 – what was that experience like, for a young referee?

It was very daunting at the time.  I had just come back from refereeing in Australia, having refereed there for three months.  It was a Leinster League game between St Mary’s and Blackrock.  Both teams had a number of internationals playing as was the norm at the time.  Current Leinster coach Leo Cullen was playing for Blackrock and St Mary’s had Steve Jamison who currently works for Leinster Rugby as Facilities and Events Manager.  I was lucky enough to have Donal Courtney who was a current International Referee and David Tyndall who was a top European Referee on the line for me.  It was very beneficial having that kind of experience holding my hand on the day.  I tried to let the game flow and only stepped in when I needed to.

You spent some time in Australia, like myself, the great Paddy Vaughan looking after you. What benefits did you see from that experience?

I remember finishing school and most of my friends were heading off for the summer to sunnier climates.  I decided to head to Australia to further my refereeing.  I had joined Old Belvedere RFC who have always been very supportive of me. I got a contact off Ollie Campbell who was friends with a guy called Dave Brockhoff from his playing days.  Dave was a very famous former Australian International.  He set me up with the head of Australian Referees who organised my trip and that led me to referee David Vaughan who originated from Dublin but had moved to Australia and married a Waterford lady Roleen.  Roleen was your typical Irish person who knew everyone in Ireland.  They were very kind to me and I have met up with them every time I have been in Australia.

You were, at the time, the youngest referee to referee a School Senior Cup Final between Terenure and St Marys, which Terenure won 3-0 ? Is this still your record, we see a lot of young guys coming through these days – Cole, Reidy, Holt? What was that experience like, at the old Lansdowne Road?

It was an amazing experience refereeing in the old Lansdowne Road stadium.  Because it was a Derby game, we had a big crowd.  Jonathan Sexton pulled the strings for St Mary’s but Terenure led by Alex Dunlop who went on to have a good career in the game won out 3-0 in the end.  St Mary’s also has Vinnie Hammond on the bench who many in rugby will know as video analyst for the Ireland Men’s team.  A Schools Cup final is such a special occasion.

You progressed through the ranks of the national Panel, and had some memorable trips for European and international games, any highlights that stand out?

A few stand out for me.  On the International front, I was lucky enough to travel to Namibia to referee a world cup qualifier.  It was an interesting experience.  I remember we were taken out for a pre match meal and we were given a kebab with crocodile, Oryx, Kudu and Springbok.  We were sitting there realising how lucky we were to be refereeing at this level and having the opportunity to travel around the globe.  At a European level, the European Cup semi final that went to a penalty shoot out.  It was the first rugby game to go to a shootout.  Alain Rolland was the Referee and me and George Clancy were the Assistant Referees.  Alan Lewis was sub referee.

You also joined the sevens circuit during your time on the national panel and were appointed to the World Sevens Circuit in 2016, how did that come about?

At the time, I was refereeing URC and at European level.  The opportunity came up to go to Dubai and George in South Africa.  I jumped at the chance to experience the game of sevens that I had only watched on TV when I was younger.  It was a baptism of fire for me.  My luggage got lost on the way to Dubai and I didn’t get it back for two weeks.  I ended up refereeing the final in my first tournament between New Zealand and South Africa.  Dubai was experiencing torrential rain, not seen for many years.  If you Youtube Dubai final in the rain, you will see how bad it was.  I had to borrow boots from a Welsh Referee, A watch from a Japanese Referee and a Whistle from a Fijian Referee. It took off from there and I was lucky to be on the circuit for 6 years and refereed at the 2009 Rugby Sevens World Cup in Dubai.   It was at the World Cup I was lucky enough to be named team captain of the Match Official Team where you were the link between the referees, management and team coaches.  An interesting role, when you have to problem solve with team coaches and act as a leader for the Match Official team who had around 15 different nationalities.

What do you see as the main differences between refereeing 7s and 15s?

From a refereeing point of view, I would say the referee has to be more accurate 100% of the time, as in Sevens, if you miss any offence, it can have potential to have a huge effect on the game.  The advantage application can also be different, where sometimes the penalty is the better option for teams in Sevens, but on the flip side, you can gain advantage more often because of the greater space on the field.

You were at one time the most-capped referee on the international Sevens circuit and  took charge of a then world record 123rd game in the World Series, both amazing statistics and a proud moment for you, what was that like?

I was lucky enough to have refereed 152 World Series games by the time I finished and that record stood for a few years until James Bolabiu from Fiji broke it.  It was a very proud moment for me.  When I was refereeing on the international stage, I was not only representing my family, friends and the IRFU, but also my club Old Belvedere, my School Clongowes and most of all, my Referee Association Leinster Referees.  There are so many good people that help you along the way.  They give up so much of their time and I will never forget all the time and advice that was given to me.  Hopefully, they enjoyed my refereeing becauee they played such a large part in it.

You were a development officer in the IRFU referees department back when I started out, and are now a Rugby Development Manager in the IRFU, but you have just finished as a World Rugby Referee Selector – how did that come about and what does it entail?

As I was coming towards the end of the refereeing career, Paddy O’Brien who was head of the World Rugby Referees approached me and asked if I would come on board as a selector to help him with the World Sevens Series, the Sevens World Cup and the Olympics.  This was a really good opportunity to pass on training that I had as a referee to the younger generation.  The role would entail reviewing each of the games live, selecting the referees but also acting as TMO on the series.  My current role in my 25^th year working with the IRFU is National Rugby Development Manager.  I work in the Rugby Development Department for Colin McEntee, Director of Rugby Development.  I would work on different projects to the benefit of irish rugby and the clubs.  Examples of this would be Inclusive Facilities, Non-Contact Rugby and Sustainability.

You were at the Paris Olympics in your role with World Rugby, what was your role there and how was that experience?

I was asked to be Technical Zone Manager for the Women’s Sevens at the Olympics.  It can be very heated in the tech zone as coaches are there, unlike in 15s where they are up in a box.  I would manage the referee staff in the zone, where we would look after subs, yellow cards, HIAs and other tasks that are needed.  Every session had 66k people in the stadium and the atmosphere was off the charts.  It was an incredible experience and a really nice way to finish my time with World Rugby.

Is there much of a sevens program in Ireland or how would someone get into refereeing 7s?

As part of the new strategy, we will be looking to create more opportunities in Sevens and other formats of the game.  Some clubs around the four provinces run their own sevens tournaments and these are a really good opportunity to get some Sevens experience as a referee.  At national level, our Head of Referees Dudley Phillips has paved the way for some of our top referees to officiate at International level.  Leinster’s Robbie Jenkinson has had experience at International level and Ulster’s Peter Martin was selected for the World Series and Olympic cycle for the next four years.  He starts his journey in Dubai and Cape Town in December.

You’ve had a great refereeing career, what advice would you give to a young referee starting out?

I think the best advice I would give is to learn as much as you can from experienced referees.  This would be Communication, knowledge of the law.  Let the game flow and only get involved when you have to.  Learn what you need to say in different situations so when it happens, it comes out naturally.  One very experienced referee said to me “Be the best you can be”.  I think if you really read that and are true to that, the world is your oyster.