Whilst I do agree that in a perfect world, such memos/directives would be quickly added to the book, the fact is that it is a world game with competitions played all year round. Therefore, some unions are going to be mucked around a bit by the timing of such inclusions. For example, WR will often issue directives/memos/clarifications in the lead up to the Northern Hemisphere season (let's say the Aviva Premiership for example) that just happens to be in the last weeks of our domestic season down under. Sometimes these memos say that the directive is to "Have immediate effect".
With all of that in mind, getting back to the one we are talking about here re "Use it" at scrums, maybe some of the blame for referees at our level not being aware of the directive, lies with the associations/societies and the referees themselves.
Our association has a monthly education/general meeting night. At these meetings I distribute hard copies of any such memos/directives/clarifications to all of our members who bother to come to the meeting. I email ALL of the educational material and/or presentations to all of our current members (includes all of the refs who couldn't make it to or couldn't be bothered to make it to the meeting).
If a memo or clarification is issued, that information is immediately emailed to all of our members and then followed up, as above, and discussed at length at the next meeting. I know that in NZ, some associations have weekly meetings that are actually well attended.
One of the problems I encounter, is that not everyone checks their emails daily or weekly. Last season I sent an email out with information re Dangerous Tackles to our 45 registered referees and asked that they send a simple response, such as "Thanks" or "Got it" to let me know they had received and opened the email. Over the next NINE days, I received 16 replies. Conclusion? 60% either don't check their emails or didn't give enough of a rat's arse to type a one word response.
To the referees here who were unaware of the scrum "Use it" directive, does your society Education Officer deliver such information to you either by email or meetings on a regular basis? Do you make an effort to attend meetings/education nights? Do you check the WR site on a regular basis for any new clarifications or directives?
And just out of interest (for my own personal information) how often do you check your emails or would it be better to get a text message from your society urging you to check your emails when there is info to be looked at?
