Call goes out for new rugby referees

Otago Rugby Union referee education officer Tumua Ioane is calling on the rugby community to step...
Otago Rugby Union referee education officer Tumua Ioane is calling on the rugby community to step up and ref. PHOTO: ODT FILES
The Otago Rugby Union is calling on parents, coaches and players to pick up a whistle.

The call went out earlier this week after there was deemed to be a shortage of referees at club level.

Otago Rugby Union referee education officer Tumua Ioane said there were plenty of people who could put their hands up.

"They are either parents on the sideline watching games, they’re coaches coaching in the morning who could referee in the afternoon, they’re former players who are currently not doing anything," Tumua said.

It was a rugby problem, not a referee problem, he said.

The number of referees had been gradually decreasing, due to a combination of reasons.

Many referees were students who left the city after three or four years. People were prioritising family time more, some lost their jobs due to Covid-19 and moved away and others did not want to give up their time if they were going to be subjected to unfortunate sideline abuse.

Ioane believed the more people refereeing, or at least trained to be, the more the rugby community would be educated in the game.

Hopefully, that would alleviate some of the issues around sideline behaviour, he said.

"If I can better educate our rugby public then I think we can create a more positive environment for new referees to step into."

He wanted to normalise officiating in rugby, just as in other sports such as netball and basketball.

"You play your game and then you’ve got to do your duty, whether that be scoring the game or umpiring the game."

One of the ways he was doing that was by getting a range of teams involved.

Last year the Highlanders had a go at refereeing junior games and premier players did it during their bye weeks.

The Otago Spirit, Otago academy players and secondary school teams would all have a turn.

It seemed to not only benefit the game, but the players as well.

"A lot of the feedback from players who have gone out to the middle has been really positive in terms of actually learning the game a lot more."

It also taught people important life skills, such as communication and patience.

People were welcome to register to become a referee and would be assigned games suitable to their skill level.

Refereeing courses were also available.

"When we talk about a lifelong involvement in rugby, that’s not just coaching, playing or managing.

"That life cycle in rugby is including refereeing as well."

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