The Art of Refereeing - Part One
By Whistle Watcher
July 6 2021
This is Whistle Watcher's first contribution to the site's 'front page', and forms the first of what will hopefully be an occasional series written from the viewpoint of a rugby referee who has an eye on the club. Take it away WW.
AS IT HAS always been, the referee's brief is to control and manage a game between two teams, in a sporting spirit, according to the Laws, so that a fair result is achieved.
Positioning is probably the only thing that you will see referees do the same as each other. Everything else is down to the individual in terms of how they interpret what they see and what sanction, if any, they choose to apply.
To achieve a good vantage point, he, or she, needs to position themselves so that they are able to see the game in play and make to make the correct decision, whenever required, bearing in mind that a decision can be not to stop the game.
As the playing area is approximately 8,400 square metres and there are 30 players involved, it would be fair to conclude that the back row of the terraces might be the best place to stand. It would be my preferred vantage point to referee the game because of the field of vision and perspective, enabling the referee to see the whole pitch and all of the players at one time.
Unfortunately for me, that’s not going to be the best place from which to exercise control, so accepting the fact that it is not possible for the referee to control a game and see all of the players and all of the pitch at any one time, there clearly has to be a compromise. The referee therefore has to decide which are the important parts of the game to see and prioritise them.
If you ask any coach what the number one priority is for the players, you’ll probably be told possession of the ball.
Simply and obviously, this is because his team can only score when they have possession and at the same time, and that having possession denies the opposition the opportunity of scoring.
With all of the players trying to get their hands on the ball, it becomes an obvious key factor in the game and wherever the ball is, the action is. Therefore, an obvious objective for a referee is to always be in a position where he can see the ball.
The referee is at greatest risk of losing sight of the ball when it is taken into a contact area, which can often develop from a tackle into a ruck or a maul. Once such a breakdown occurs, other supporting players are attracted and amongst all of the bodies, arms and legs, it becomes increasingly difficult for the referee to see the ball.
It is also at such times that players, who are not entitled, will also be trying to get their hands on the ball to prevent it being played. This requires close scrutiny, accompanied by some verbal preventative refereeing. For this reason, the second objective for a referee is to be close enough to manage play in the contact area.
Being able to see the ball and getting in close at the breakdown will greatly assist the referee when making decisions relating to the release of the tackled player and the tackled player releasing the ball etc., but when rucks or mauls are formed, other game situations develop that require equal (additional?) vigilance.
From the time that a ruck or maul is created, new offside lines come into play running through the back foot of each side. These offside lines run across the full width of the pitch and the referee needs to ensure that players not joining the ruck or maul stay behind them.
Taking up a position close up to a mass of players will greatly restrict the referee’s vision if he is trying to look beyond the ruck or maul so, in direct contradiction to the second objective, another referee objective might be to be far enough away to see peripheral players.
The better referees are looking to provide a game situation in which the ball is kept alive and the team in possession has the legal amount of space in which to try its moves. This should create a fast fluid game enjoyable to both players and spectators which means that the referee should never dwell on the spot. He should continually be reading the game, so that he knows what is most likely to happen next and is always ready to move quickly to the next phase.
Referees will often say that rugby is a player's game which gives them the right of first choice when it comes to taking up a position on the pitch. The referee should therefore strive to stay out of the players' way.
In summary we now have a list of basic referee objectives related to positioning as follows:
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To be able to see the ball
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To be close enough to manage play in the contact area
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To be far enough away to see the peripheral players
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To be ready to move quickly to the next phase
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To stay out of the players' way
Does that list mean that the referee will always be in the right place at the right time? No, of course not, but it does mean that they will have given themselves the best chance of being able to see the vast majority of offences.
That offside you spotted (from my preferred vantage point, seven metres above the field of play and 20 metres back from the touchline)? Could you see from there if the scrum half had started to lift the ball? Probably not, because there are too many people in the way and, if your eyesight is like mine now, it’s likely too far away for you to be sure.
That forward pass? Were the officials as in line with the pass as you were? Were YOU in line with the pass? I’ve heard people shouting for a forward pass from the opposite end of the ground, so if you’re going to shout at the referee, at least be credible!
To be continued...
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2021:07:25:07:32:34 by Kimbo.
