Law changes are working

Transcription

1 with South African Referees weaks to the laws introduced at the beginning of the 2007 Super T14 and Six Nations competitions have produced the desired results and are set to remain in place for the season, says SA Rugby s manager of referees André Watson. The change to a four-step scrum engagement procedure has dramatically reduced the number of re-sets and brought greater stability because the entire process is more structured and organised, says André. IRB statistics indicate that in the 2006 Super 14 about 45% of scrums were re-set, by the third week of this year s tournament that number had dropped to a low of 24%! In addition to the obvious safety benefi ts arising from a more disciplined approach to the moment of impact, it has also given referees better insight into transgressions that may be occurring. We have seen an increase in penalties and a drop in free kicks a clear indication that referees are guessing less and can pinpoint individuals who are violating the laws. The change benefi ts strong scrummagers. In the short term there has been an increase in binding problems but, as players become more accustomed and revise their techniques, this problem should diminish. According to André, the old method of engagement had been in place for ten years; It s only natural that it will take a settling-in period to get used to the new process. An important point to keep in mind is that this new procedure applies to rugby at all levels including schools. Another wrinkle this year has been the outlawing of boots on players. However, raking of the ball remains permitted. Stepping on a player s body is an automatic yellow card, with boots on any joint ankle, knee or hand or head a mandatory red. This is a massive stepup in player safety and no-one can show evidence that we ve lost any of the traditional toughness of the game. Another change is the clampdown on player dissent. The IRB has been worried for some time that the deplorable on-fi eld activities of the soccer fraternity where intimidation and abuse of match offi cials is a common occurrence not be replicated in rugby union. The clampdown on April 2007 Vol.1 Law changes are working George Gregan s refereeing during the Brumbies-Stormers match is a good example of the referee quickly stopping all unnecessary chatter and interference. We do need to be careful that we do not punish players who are merely showing disappointment at their own, or their team-mate s, indiscretions, says André. But if a player is clearly abusing a match offi cial or constantly questioning decisions, he must be censured. The changes are achieving the desired results. The scrum is safer and easier to police while the clampdown on stomping and dissent will improve the game from a spectator s point of view the sight of players squabbling and unnecessarily raking players on the ground is clearly not palatable for many sections of the viewing public. And after all, we have a responsibility as referees and administrators to keep the game an interesting spectator sport. Australian referee Paul Marks was clearly not in the mood for input from any of the players. Referees are urged to keep a lid on player dissent. Constant player commentary must be censured. Pic: Pro-Alliance In this issue... Harry Abrahams, one of two Honorary 3 Meet the country s top referees 4 In-touch takes a look at Griquas 7 1

2 Visiting Officials Focus on Paul Honiss Listing the opening of the 2003 Rugby World Cup as one of the many highlights in his refereeing career where, in RWC tradition, he used a whistle that was almost 100-years old to start the game Paul Honiss is now the most capped New Zealand Test referee with 39 appointments. Pic: Pro-Alliance Known to South African rugby fans for the controversial try scored by the Irish in November 2004, Paul is the ultimate professional. In Cape Town towards the end of a four-week Tri-Nations assignment which saw him traverse the country several times from his Pretoria base he was at pains to emphasise the role of the referee as the 31st player on the fi eld. You are only a forward pass away from a bad performance, says Paul. There is huge focus on the referee and you have to continually learn from your experiences. If you make a mistake, you need to analyse it and then park it. There s no point in carrying it and letting it haunt you going forward. Preparation is key to top performances maintains Paul. The demands of an international referee particularly from the southern hemisphere are onerous. You not only have the prospect of crossing several time zones, but coming to South Africa also brings in the element of altitude there are few other rugby cities where that is such a factor. Thorough preparation before departing for an international assignment leaves time for recuperation and acclimatisation on arrival. A typical programme includes on-fi eld training on Monday and Wednesday, gym sessions on Tuesday and Thursday, with a light run on Friday preferably at the fi eld if it is a fi rst-time venue. Match day is all about relaxation, be comfortable that you ve done the work. Gallo Images/Getty Images.com Size doesn t matter. Getting it right is what refereeing is all about maintains Paul. Here Victor Matfi eld doesn t look to be in total agreement! Meal planning is dependant on the game start-time but includes a good breakfast and light lunch with plenty of fl uid intake, especially in the fi nal lead-up. Paul makes use of a coach and mentor to help improve his on-fi eld performance. My coach guides me with my communication techniques, body language and on-fi eld image. My mentor is more focused on the technical aspects. In this regard we use sophisticated analysis software to break down every aspect for closer inspection. As a full-time referee Paul has additional responsibilities when he s not on the road offi ciating. He is responsible for referee training, presenting courses to coaches, media interviews and he also writes a monthly column for a rugby magazine. While the image of an international referee appears glamorous, it is hard work and extremely demanding. I am lucky that I have terrifi c support from home my wife still wakes up and watches every game, even if it is three in the morning! My only advice to aspiring refs is to ensure that you have a solid understanding and base of rugby to work from and are passionate about the game not the career opportunities. While there is no harm in being ambitious and wanting to progress as quickly as possible, there is no substitute for experience and that only comes with time on the fi eld. With only 12 referees to be appointed to this year s Rugby World Cup in France, here s wishing Paul our very best. Following a rugby career spanning almost 60 years, Harry Abrahams (right) was awarded Honorary hip of the SA Rugby Referees Association by Chairman Steve Meintjes one of only two such lifetime achievements in the country. Looking in on the STRUCTURES T he fi rst edition of In-touch is an ideal opportunity to provide insight into how the various referee societies operate and fi t within the national body. South Africa s refereeing structure comprises 14 provincial societies each affi liated to their respective Provincial Union and a national body operated under the auspices of SA Rugby. At national level the Chairmen s Council of the South African Rugby Referees Association is the overarching governing body regulating policy on referee matters. In terms of the Constitution, the Council is made up of a chairperson, two deputy chairpersons and 14 primary members comprising the respective chairperson of the provincial referee societies and SA Rugby s manager of referees, in our case Andre Watson. The 14 provincial chairpersons elect a national chairperson who must resign as chair of their provincial society in order to take up the national post. That society provides the national association Selection with its new chairperson to ensure that each Freek Burger province is represented. Eugene Daniels The Chairmen s Council is responsible for policy and procedure formulation, developing Carel du Plessis (convenor) Neville Heilbron Thuso Mngqibisa Banks Yantolo André Watson codes of conduct, marketing, directing training and other visionary or strategic functions that may arise. It is also has the authority to award honorary and life memberships where it deems appropriate. To date, only four individuals have been recognised with these prestigious awards: Life hip to the late Steve Strydom, as well as Freek Burger, and Honorary hip to Dr Louis Wessels and Harry Abrahams. An executive committee is responsible for the day-to-day operational activities of SARRA and the current members are Steve Meintjes (chairman), the two deputy chairmen Doug Holwill and Stephanus Dogh, as well as co-opted member Johannes Plaatjie and André Watson. Two further working groups National Selectors and National Performance Reviewers have begun to work a lot closer in the performance evaluation of panel and up-and-coming referees. Performance Review Fransie Muller (convenor) James Apollis Keith Hendricks Jacques Hugo Dennis Immelman Lusando Menze Richard Nash Pierre Oelofse Louis Wessels (auditor) Welcome to our first edition of I t is truly an honour to be able to address this welcoming note to all refereeing officials registered throughout South Africa and to all other interested readers. During the 2006 season we investigated various methods of communicating to members of the various refereeing societies and bodies throughout the country, as well as to the broader interested public. This included the various media offerings of television, radio, internet, newspaper and direct channels such as and newsletters this newsletter is the result. You may have noticed the increased frequency with which our top referees appear on television and radio programmes. Unfortunately, due to the short lead time we receive we are not always able to let all know when these interviews take place but urge you to watch or listen to these rugby shows. Last year, Carte Blanche did a feature on Tappe s last senior game and profiled the intense pressure that a referee faces on the day of a big game. The feedback we received was extremely positive with the Carte Blanche presenters acknowledging that they had no inkling of how involved refereeing was. Add to this the radio talk show in the Western Cape during which Thuso Mngqibisa appealed to listeners to get involved in refereeing and the reported success of this appeal, the profiling of the appointed Super 14 referees before kick-off, the various articles and media releases that appear in the press and you can see how much marketing is being done. Then, of course, we can add the launch of our website. This site, if you have not already visited it, is a world first. It offers the opportunity to discuss law and any related issues with our top panel referees on-line. Any interesting decisions occurring in previous games are discussed with video footage often provided. I would urge all to visit this site at The aim of this newsletter is to provide our readers with interesting articles, viewpoints and information on refereeing and the administration of refereeing under the broad control of the South African Rugby Referees Association. I trust you will enjoy it and use the various methods of communication to your benefit. Please provide us with your feedback, letters to the editor and interesting articles so that we can share these with your colleagues throughout the country. Referee greetings to all Stephen Meintjes Chairman SA Referees 2 3

3 Meet the new national panel South Africa s top group of referees the National Panel are among some of the best match officials in world rugby, a benchmark that demands constant attention. Here s a quick glimpse of the 12 members the first six are in order of merit, with the second page in alphabetical order. Jonathan Kaplan Age: 41 Province: SARU Refereeing since: 1984 Currently ranked top in the country, Jonathan is SA s most-capped international referee with 34 Tests and 263 fi rst-class matches to his name. He was still a schoolboy when he started refereeing at the tender age of 17 and his highlights to-date include the fi nals of the 2006 Currie Cup and 2006 Super 14. For the last two years Jonathan has received the Marriott Refereeing Achievement of the Year Award SA Rugby s highest honour for a referee. Marius Jonker Age: 39 Province: KwaZulu Natal Refereeing since: 2000 Marius s progress in refereeing has been exceptionally fast, but then he did come to the job after a distinguished rugby career as a Fly Half. The big jump came last July when he refereed his fi rst Test between Fiji and Italy in Suva, followed quickly by two more international games abroad. This year Marius travelled to palatial Twickenham for the prestigious Calcutta Cup. His aims include refereeing at the World Cup, as well as in a Currie Cup Final. Craig Joubert Age: 30 Province: KwaZulu Natal Refereeing since: 1992 Following in the footsteps of his late father, Des, Craig started refereeing as a schoolboy and his passion for the activity has grown over the years. Refereeing highlights of Craig s career include his involvement in the IRB sevens especially the fi nal between New Zealand and Fiji in Hong Kong his fi rst Super 12 game and his fi rst IRB Test match. Since Nelson Mandela declared the 1995 Rugby World Cup open, it has been Craig s biggest dream to one day referee at the rugby spectacle. 4 Mark Lawrence Age: 42 Province: SARU Refereeing since: 1990 On top of being described as one of the best referees in the world, Mark is also known as one of the most thoughtful. After a rugby injury sent him to the sidelines he decided to start refereeing in A mere four years after he began he made it onto the SARU panel, the national panel in 1997 and fi nally the international panel in He has an extensive number of games under his belt, comprising 14 Tests, 57 Currie Cup matches and 119 fi rst-class games. Jerome Fortuin Age: 44 This ex-schoolmaster, known by many as JC, is unlike most referees in that he didn t play rugby, get injured and then decide to referee. Instead, Jerome gave up playing fi rst-league rugby at the age of 27 and two years later decided to try out refereeing. He was awarded Springbok colours in 2005, has been refereeing Super Rugby since 2005 and has refereed six Tests, all in Africa. Willie Roos Age: 33 Province: Gauteng Willie started refereeing after losing a bet with a friend when he was 20-years old. He s never looked back since taking up the occupation. Currently the sports administrator for the GLRU, Willie was ranked as the sixth-best referee in South Africa earlier this year. He says his main aim in refereeing is to serve the game and its players in the best way he can without any controversy. Phillip Bosch Age: 37 Province: Eastern Province Refereeing since: 1999 This primary-school teacher describes himself as a referee who is fi rm, friendly and whose decisions on the fi eld are easy to live with. Phillip s refereeing highlights include Craven Week, Club Champs and the Under-19 World Cup. Christian du Preez Age: 37 Province: Eastern Cape Refereeing since: 2000 Another school teacher, Christian sees himself as a fair, consistent and fi t referee. With a role model like Jonathan Kaplan, he defi nitely takes his refereeing very seriously. Highlights on the fi eld for Christian include blowing the whistle in the 2006 Currie Cup, as well as the Super 14 in the same year. Lesego Legoete Age: 31 Province: Gauteng Refereeing since: 2001 Lesego is affectionately known as Pro to most people on the sports fi eld, for his utter determination to excel at sport. A superb rugby player himself, Pro played on the South African Students team in 2000 at the Students World Cup in Italy. He decided to swap playing the game for refereeing in 2001 and his highlight thus far has been offi ciating at the IRB sevens. Ref s now just a click away outh African referees have their own Swebsite: Already it has special features and has received warm response from several parts of the world. The site is a part of André Watson s initiative to make referees and refereeing more transparent to referee, player and supporter alike. One of the special features is the Duty Ref one of South Africa s top referees to answer readers questions. And questions have come in from England, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Cyprus - as well as from South Africa. The questions are quickly answered and vary from intricate bits of law to eye exercises. They often relate to matches just played. Another is the use of clips for law discussion taken from the weekend s matches. The clips are live action and are accompanied by an explanation of the decision made. The laws are on the site, including the variations for sevens, Under-19 rugby and kaalvoet rugby. In addition there are profiles of referees Gareth Lloyd-Jones Age: 34 Refereeing since: 1995 Gareth describes himself as a fair, composed and calm referee. This will be his fi rst year on the national panel after serving on the provincial panel for the last two years. Refereeing highlights for Gareth include the Vodacom Cup, Craven Week, Club Champs and IRB sevens. Linston Manuels Age: 40 Province: Boland Refereeing since: 1997 Linston has been on the national panel since last year and he hopes that through his refereeing he can be a positive role-model to everyone playing and watching the game. Career highlights for Linston include the 2005 Under-19 World Cup, as well as refereeing Currie Cup games for the last two years. Deon van Blommestein Age: 38 Deon began his refereeing career during his university days, after receiving a few injuries playing. He takes after his dad, Paul, who was a long-standing provincial referee for WPRU. His refereeing highlights include the Club Champs in 2002 and 2004, the 2002 Under-19 World Cup fi nal in Italy, as well as Vodacom and Currie Cup matches. in South Africa and abroad, law discussions, South African and International Rugby Board panels, articles of historic interest, information on how to become a referee, the structures of South African referees and appointments to matches in South Africa and around the world. There is also space for news from the societies and three of the societies have already sent in useful information. The site changes every day and is lively and entertaining. Why not make it your home page? 5

4 Referee evaluation GETTING IT RIGHT Changes introduced during the 2006 season to the assessment, selection and ranking of panel referees have proven successful and will be continued for P rior to rugby professionalism in 1995, the evaluation of referees was not very scientifi c often the assessor made notes on the referee s performance on the back of a cigarette box and had an informal chat after the game. Post 1995 it was clear that a more scientifi c and auditable process was required, hence the introduction of the Performance Reviewer (PR). The PR role continued through to 2005 and it was based on recording every incident that happened during the game on a factual basis there was no room for discussion. Thankfully in 2006, Paddy O Brien the IRB s manager of referees together with SANZAR and SA Referee head selector, Carel du Plessis, introduced a performance-driven evaluation system. This two-pronged approach combines the information recorded by the PR together with input from a Selector to create a measure of overall performance. Typically the PR measures law application and management whereas the selector measures the contribution of the referee to the game. Interestingly, and for the fi rst time ever, this includes feedback from the coaches! The measurement pie, comprising; fi tness - 10%, exams - 10%, tackle/ruck/maul - 15%, management - 15%, PR - 15%, selectors - 25% and coaches - 10%, ensures a more holistic approach rather than merely a focus on the application and World-first for law exams I n what is believed to be a world-fi rst for referees, this year s national exam will be live with no paper-based questionnaires and all questions asked after candidates view electronic clips of actual game footage. This is very exciting for us, says André Watson. It has been a concern for many years that referees have had to read and answer questions that were not presented in their home language. Minor nuances or incorrect translations could result in the person not providing the correct answer through no fault of their own. At this year s exam to be held nationally on 24 May candidates will be presented with a video clip of a passage of play, followed by a question in Afrikaans, English or Xhosa. by André Watson knowledge of laws. This approach is now also used by the IRB with great success. The SA Referees selection panel comprises: Carel du Plessis (chairman), Banks Yantolo, Thuso Mnqibisa, Eugene Daniels, Freek Burger, Neville Heilbron and myself. Tappe Henning and Theuns Naude both national referee coaches also contribute. The move to a more comprehensive evaluation system should not be viewed as a threat to the traditional PR function. The PR and Selector bring different elements to the equation both equally important. The result is a more balanced approach to evaluating total referee performance better for us and, importantly, better for the game. It is hoped this form of interactive evaluation can be extended to provide referees with training opportunities remotely accessible from anywhere via an internet connection. Law books available The IRB 2007 edition of the Laws of the Game is now available from each provincial society at a nominal charge. Contact your local referee manager for information. In another fi rst, the two South African editions Afrikaans and English will be supplemented by the very fi rst African language version. Thanks largely to the efforts of WP referee Thuso Mnqibisi the law book will soon be available in Xhosa. These publications should be available from May through each Society. ith distances up to 1400kms between clubs the Griqualand WWest Rugby Referees Society (GWRRS) faces challenges not experienced by some of the urban societies says chairperson Kat Swanepoel. Because of our geographic footprint we have divided the region into six sub-unions. It makes management a whole lot easier and the guys can control their local activities more effectively, says Kat. But we make a concerted effort to visit each sub-union regularly and through the use of video technology conduct a form of distance-learning. GWRRS is the fi rst referee society in South Africa to offer two promising young referees Lee-Allen Cronje and Petrie Bosch a full-time, oneyear bursary to attend the rugby academy operated from the Northern Cape Technical College. Along with 25 players, the youngsters attend lectures on a host of subjects such as fi nance and sport management. When the players go to rugby training the two referees receive specialised tuition from manager of referees, Marius Franken. It is quite intensive, but the two have achieved a lot already. In the recent SA Rugby regional testing phase they performed extremely well and Petrie has been selected to offi ciate at the Schools Easter Festival in Johannesburg, says Marius Franken. including 12 fi rst and second-league whistlers. There is good racial representation and one female. Rugby is in reasonable shape in the region with almost 60 active clubs but, as with most other amateur sports, the question of funding is always a major challenge, says Marius. Our referees are not paid by the GWRRS but do receive a basic mileage allowance. Fortunately some of the subunions have secured local sponsors to help with the cost of kit but for most it s a question of blowing for the love of the game! If you re ever in the Northern Cape feel free to give Kat or Marius a call. They d Griquas go the extra mile Griquas is producing some exciting young refereeing talent. While Lee-Allen Cronje (left) is making fast progress, both Petrie Bosch and Francois de Bruin (insert) have been appointed to the Contenders Panel. love to hear from colleagues visiting the region and perhaps your visit might coincide with one of their regular Society meetings. GWRRS office bearers: Chairperson : Kat Swanepoel Vice chair : Melven Horn Secretary : Deon Marais Treasurer : Oubaas Wagner Regional reps : Gerhard Marais, Wouter van Niekerk, Rudel du Preez, Hans Coetzee and Johan Hendricks Manager : Marius Franken GWRRS has 70 active members comprising 55 league referees Griquas executive members, from left: Oubaas Wagner, Gerhard Marais, Kat Swanepoel and Marius Franken. 6 7

5 News WP Golf Day he annual WP Referees Golf Day has become Tone of the highlights on the local sporting calendar. Set to coincide with the presence of visiting referees doing Super 14 duty in Cape Town, the event provides an opportunity for local referees and rugby fans to spend time with some of the top whistlemen in the world. According to Ben Theron, WP s manager of referees, the event raised almost R to be ploughed back into referee development in the Province. Relaxing after the WP Golf Day were from left: James Apollis, André Watson, Lyndon Bray, Marc van Zyl, Paul Marks, Deon van Blommestein, Brett Bowden, Ben Theron Infront: Matt Kemp P also held their annual indaba for Super League, 1A and W1B referees in March. The event is a place for referees to have meaningful input into the way their Society operates. Topics included referee discipline, club liaison, mentoring, finance, marketing and monthly meetings. Ref chairman Doug Holwill said: The two-day meeting is a great way for the executive to receive feedback from the membership. We strive for transparency in the way we conduct our affairs and this serves as a valuable tool in that. Tools to referee better Rugby World Cup spots up for grabs total of 12 referee and 16 touch judge spots are up for grabs at this year s Rugby World Cup to be held in France A during September. For the fi rst time, individuals from among the world s best whistleblowers will be selected either as referees or touch judges. Selfi shly from a referee s point of view SA s poor performance at the 99 and 03 World Cups was a blessing for the match offi cials, as our very own André Watson become the only person to take charge of two Finals. Here s backing our test referees to do us proud at this year s spectacle. ( A computerbased software program Know the Game. (KTG) is an innovative and interactive approach to understanding the complex laws of rugby better. André Watson acts as technical adviser to the producers of the program. It is a valuable resource for referees, players, coaches and spectators. Caption competition To order your own copy at R130 contact Gabriel Pappas at the Gauteng Lions Rugby Referees Society, Ellis Park, on or gpappas@glru.co.za A bad day at the office If you have any idea what may have been going through Tony Blair s mind when this Gallo Images/Getty Images.com happened drop us a line. If you are judged to have the funniest credit you could win a R400 gift voucher for a meal at your local Spur. cullum@imbongisa.com or fax before 31 May All material published in is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without permission of the South African Rugby Referees Association. is a newsletter for referees throughout South Africa, if you have any information that may be of interest to your colleagues, cullum@imbongisa.com or fax