Latest Assessment

[upnunder]

REFEREE ASSESSMENT FORM 2

NAME OF REFEREE: Upnunder LEVEL 8 SOCIETY NLD

MATCH TYPE RFU KO Junior Vase LEVEL 9 DATE September 24th 2011

MATCH RESULT Red ( 36 pts) -v- Black ( 20 pts)



1. CHALLENGE OF THE MATCH:

Although on an open exposed ground, the weather and pitch were perfect for an open game of
rugby and both sides made an effort to play an expansive game. The first half was more evenly contested than the second with Black eventually running out of steam and losing their discipline. Red always looked more dangerous in open play and took some time to settle to the task of breaking down a stubborn defence. There was some foul play in the second half which the referee missed through not looking behind him as he followed play out in the open. The referee did however yellow card a Black player in the first half for a trip, and red card another Black player in the second for a stamp on the head. This was well managed, the referee having no hesitation in applying the appropriate sanction. The Black supporters were vociferous and ill disciplined, with a great deal of foul language directed at the referee and Red players, which was totally unwarranted.
The referee coped with this intimidation admirably (he basically ignored it).


2. MATCH MANAGEMENT:

Control. The referee was in control of the game right from the first whistle. He achieved a good balance between punitive and preventative measures and communicated well with the players both verbally and with the use of signals and gestures. However we did discuss the foul play that went unnoticed, and how when a hint of off the ball skulduggery is noticed then the referee needs to be aware of the need to look behind when he follows play out in the open.

Communication. The referee’s whistling was crisp and varied effectively for different offences. His signalling was good, so much so that I didn’t have to ask anyone else “What was that for ?”. Advantage was played well on the whole, except on one or two occasions when the referee was a little quick on the whistle. This aspect was discussed with the referee after the game and agreement reached. Signals and verbal instructions were precise.

PLEASE ASSESS THE REFEREE’S MATCH MANAGEMENT USING THE CRITERIA:


3. THE REFEREE’S POTENTIAL:

The referee was, on the whole, up with play. I did question however, whether he had a sprint gear, as he was left behind on one or two occasions. However he was on the spot when it mattered and arrived on time through utilising lines of running that got him where he needed to be. He gave the impression of being a little ponderous and could do with losing a little of the surplus weight he is carrying. He coped with this level of rugby well and I have every confidence that on this performance he will be an asset to his Society at this Level. Players and coaches from Red were complimentary about the referee, which is always a good sign that the referee has potential. I didn’t expect Black to be as complimentary, as they had lost and had not influenced the referee as they would have liked to. Provided Upnunder takes note of the comments made in the areas that need to be developed and blends them in to his game then he should make further progress up the refereeing ladder in time.



KEY COMPONENTS



AREAS TO DEVELOP - Please select up to three of the above units to outline areas that need to be developed using the Key Components Descriptors.


Scrum. Following the RFU’s directive for referees to slow down the engagement procedure at scrummages, I felt the referee didn’t quite get it right. The referee had trouble with the front rows engaging early in this game. Early engagement was penalised but it did not achieve the result that was needed. The front rows dictated the engagement. I felt that, had the referee really slowed down the process by really pausing after the call “pause”, it would have taken away the element of the front rows trying to predict the referee’s call to engage. He needed to make them wait for his call.


Ruck & Maul. The referee’s positioning at these phases was good. He faced the side likely to offend, he communicated verbally, and reminded players to release, roll away and take hands off. Players were reminded to remain on side and behind the back foot but then the referee ignored the fact that some did not listen. Not one penalty (out of a total of 15 in the whole game) was given for offside – not behind the back foot (subject to advantage being played of course) when clearly players were infringing.
Fortunately this did not really have an effect on the game and both sides took whatever advantage they could get from the extra few feet they could pinch.
Players going to ground on top were penalised as were players not releasing or rolling away. Those caught handling the ball in the ruck were also dealt with consistently.

Lineout. The referee could have varied his position at the lineout a little more. He spent all of his time policing the lineout from the front. A metre gap was maintained and participants and non participants remained on side, again with good verbal communication and signals. He also took up a wide and touchline position, and although on the move as the ball was thrown, he was caught behind play when the ball was spun wide, as he had so far to run to catch up with play.

I stayed at the front because the ball was only thrown to 4 in the line once, everything else was at the front and really scrappy.


REFEREE’S STRENGTHS - Please select up to three of the above units to outline the referee’s strengths in this match, using the Key Components descriptors.


Kicks & Open Play. The key components and descriptors were refereed well on nearly all occasions.


Tackle. The referee was, on the whole, on top of this area of the game. He was there to call on players to release, roll away and to stay on their feet. When the ball did not come away he was able to sanction the appropriate offender which meant that as the game progressed the ball came away more often than not. Arriving players at the tackle were made aware of entering through the gate and side entry was penalised on most occasions when it occurred.

Advantage. Except on a couple of occasions when he was a little quick on the whistle (already mentioned and discussed with the referee) advantage was played to the full. This was a strong part of the referee’s performance on the day.

The referee’s main strengths in this game were his control, advantage, management of the players and game in front of him, and his communication. The neutrals, and Red supporters and players all appreciated a good performance from the referee.

 

[Lee Lifeson-Peart]

:bday:

Are you pleased with it?

That seems to be a good assessment (not having seen the game) and bodes well for the future. You seem to have the same issue as me in terms of not "looking" fast enough although the assessor concedes you were "on the spot when it mattered and arrived on time through utilising lines of running that got him where he needed to be" so is it an issue at this level? Maybe it is/will be at L7? It would be great if we could all run like Usain Bolt.

Well done.

 

[OB..]

upnunder - you omitted the overall grading. MD?

I do not include comments on the referee's performance under Challenge of the Match. Do others?

 

[upnunder]

upnunder - you omitted the overall grading. MD?

I do not include comments on the referee's performance under Challenge of the Match. Do others?

Overall Grading was G

 

[Dixie]

Overall Grading was G

Well done. Given that this was a L.8 referee doing a L.9 game, I thought this was a bit of a back-handed compliment:

I have every confidence that on this performance he will be an asset to his Society at this Level.

To OB's point on challenge of the match, most of the assessments I ever had treated this as a "match report". This one effectively says: good weather, firm pitch; Black getting ragged at end; Black club failed to control its supporters. For me, the challenges represented by these relevant facts are: a) the fitness required for an open game; b) the ability to spot the changing pattern of the game, and then to deal with it appropriately; c) refusing to be bullied by, or to react to, the inapporpriate support. These are the bits that are normally only hinted at rather that expressly set down, but if they ARE set down, they form a working framework within which the entire assessment can be set.

 

[andyscott]

Fitness and speed are different and depends when you apply it.

For instance, game on sat U19 with a large percentage of players junior internationals. Game level 6

Now they ran everything, even from their own 22. Now a winger broke from his own 22 and scored under the posts. Assessor said I was a little behing play. I was well in the far 22 when the ball was touched down, and it was a foot race the whole way.

So speak about an international ref.

Wayne Barnes, fit, yes.
Could he keep up with Brian Habanna.

 

[Jacko]

Slightly odd comment about being a touch quick on the whistle. In a game with a red card for a stamp on the head, a yellow for a trip and further niggle which you didn't spot, I'd be quick on the whistle too!!

 

[Taff]

Slightly odd comment about being a touch quick on the whistle. In a game with a red card for a stamp on the head, a yellow for a trip and further niggle which you didn't spot, I'd be quick on the whistle too!!

Perhaps he meant Upnunder could have allowed more time for advantage generally - not specifically for the stamping and the tripping?

 

[Toby Warren]

Perhaps he meant Upnunder could have allowed more time for advantage generally - not specifically for the stamping and the tripping?

He did but what Jacko is advocating is in a game with foul play it is common practice to shorten advantage to keep a tight lid on things.

 

[Adam]

Lineout. The referee could have varied his position at the lineout a little more. He spent all of his time policing the lineout from the front. A metre gap was maintained and participants and non participants remained on side, again with good verbal communication and signals. He also took up a wide and touchline position, and although on the move as the ball was thrown, he was caught behind play when the ball was spun wide, as he had so far to run to catch up with play.

I stayed at the front because the ball was only thrown to 4 in the line once, everything else was at the front and really scrappy.

Was this mentioned in the briefing? If it was then maybe you didn't do a good enough job of justifying in the debrief why you stood there? Did he feel you missed anything?

 

[upnunder]

I did cover it in the debrief with him, and explained that I had been at the front as that is where everything was happening. One side used a move four times where the hooker or scrum half went round the blind side. If I had been at the back I couldnt have been in position to make sure it was legal. The ball only went to number 4 twice, and only once over the top from a poor throw.
I must not have convinced him. The feedback I took was to vary position a little more, which is fine. I will do that in future.

The point about the short advantage was only a minor one- I hadnt noticed that I had been quick on the whistle, but that is why we have assessments I suppose- to pick up things I dont necessarily notice I do.

I thought I had a good game- felt very comfortable getting around the park, all the tries were scored within 2m of me, most of them at my feet.

I didnt agree with him on the back foot offsides, I thought the guards at the ruck caused more problems. The backs were well behind rearmost foot, so I had no problem with them, but once again, the assessor had a different perspective.

I welcome all feedback from someone who is willing to give up his time on a Saturday and come and watch me.

I have another assessment this Saturday, and next Saturday, so hopefully will see improvement- my society are definitely giving me the chance to prove myself.

 

[Mike Whittaker]

Reluctant to say too much about the report as did not see game and did not talk to referee!

However, it is a bit short on materiality, and as mentioned already, the Challenge could have been clearer.
Personally I would never comment on a referees fitness, just point out any consequences of being unfit.
Like OB I had guessed MD on the basis of the report but a G is nice in anybody's book!!
And he did give up his afternoon being dragged around the shops by family to come and watch a good game of rugby

The bit about being an asset 'at this level' is a bit of a back handed compliment! Does he think you are good enough to be and asset higher up or not????

 

[upnunder]

Rather than start a new thread for my latest assessment, I thought it would be better to continue this thread, so any progress can br seen.

Description of the Match and its challenge for the Referee

A league match between two teams of very similar ability played on a wide pitch in excellent condition. Both sides were in the main intent on playing open rugby in a fair sporting manner. This provided Upnunder with his main challenge that of keeping the tackle area and any ensuing rucks within the laws of the game. This he did with some aplomb and without the use of much penalty sanction; 12 penalties in total in the match. The use of good management skills and clear succinct verbal direction helped greatly in Upnunder’s success in this area.

The match was played at a good pace and the ball was in play for an above average amount of time, thus the physical demand on Upnunder was high. He selected to referee mainly between the 15m lines and his movement within those parameters was fluent and effective. He would benefit further by working hard on his pace off the mark and continuing to lose some weight, however his anticipation of how play was likely to develop was good and it clearly demonstrated his knowledge of the game.
Upnunder's management skills were demonstrated to be of a high order and his use of whistle, voice, and hand signals was also good.

Referee’s strengths

Set pieces;
Upnunder refereed these areas consistently and effectively.

Scrums;
The engagement procedure was consistent and well paced. The result was that there was need only to reset 2 scrums and to award 1 free kick for early engagement. A single penalty against the home no.7 for not binding was the only penalty sanction necessary. A clear 5m offside line was also well monitored.

Line-out;
Refereed early on from the front and from midway through the first half mainly from the rear, although on each occasion Upnunder checked the front of the line before moving to the back. A good gap was maintained between the two sides and plenty of clean ball was thus available; a single penalty was awarded in this phase of the game for offside through the line early.

Tackle/Ruck;
Upnunder was clear in his direction of the players in these phases and the players in general responded positively to his direction. The result was plenty of quick clean ball and very few penalties; 9 in total. There were very few occasions when he failed to identify accurately the first offence.

Areas for improvement
Upnunder refereed this match well and there few areas which required critical discussion. The two main things we discussed post match were
(1)Upnunder tended at times to get square on to the tackle/ruck area and to over-concentrate on the players in the ruck thus losing some control of the players outside of the rucks. We discussed the use of a more angled body position and greater rotation of his head and body whilst still retaining control of the ground.
(2) Upnunder use of his arms to control players outside of the tackle/ruck situation came across as slightly apologetic and we discussed the need for these to be broader and more assertive such that the players would be in no doubt as to his control of them and the offside lines in particular.

POTENTIAL:
Upnunder was extremely comfortable in this L8 match, his use of sanction was well judged and he was well received by the players. He awarded a single yellow card for a Black player kicking the ball away to prevent a quick penalty 10m from his own line. This was a necessary sanction and well dealt with by Upnunder; overall, a promising display.

 

[Toby Warren]

:bday: Well done cracking stuff.