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More than 60 referees and their advisers from the Southern Federation of Referees benefited from a day of training from some of the Rugby Football Union’s top refereeing officials at Newbury RFC on Sunday 21st August.
Members of the Southern Federation, which includes Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Hampshire, were given briefings from RFU Elite Referee Dean Richards and RFU Referee Manager Richard Glynne-Jones.
The objective of the day was to give the attendees a better idea of the spirit and intent rather than the letter of the laws of the game.
Berkshire-based Richards, who has recently been promoted to the RFU Panel of Elite Referees, led a session on fitness in which referees were introduced to a series of drills that would improve their speed and agility.
Glynne-Jones addressed the attendees on the need to differentiate between those offences which have no effect on the game and can be ignored and those which must be penalized.
John Ford, the Southern Federation Training Officer, also introduced a framework for interpreting the intent of the laws. The framework was based on the International Rugby Board’s charter for the game.
Roger Hancock, Chairman of the Southern Federation, said about the event: “It is massively important that training events such as this exist to supplement the formal training courses and to make members aware of the new trends in the game. It is a great benefit for our referees and advisors to take tips from the likes of Dean and Richard.”
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