New Ref : First Game : My post match thoughts/report.

[Mike Selig]

Couple more thoughts:

What actually helped me quite a bit when I was starting out was running touch for a ref at slightly higher level (say 10) but with more experience. See where he stands, what he does. More importantly notice how he gets decisions wrong. You know, blatantly wrong. But the players don't seem to mind, or if they do they keep it to themselves cos if they don't... PING.

Get involved with your U14s as crossref said, the coach reffing is not ideal.

Get involved with some training sessions at your club. Less pressure, more time to think, could help quite a bit.

Above all though I must repeat what I said: it does get easier (even your 2nd game), and the only real way you'll get over the bad experience is to get out there and do it again. The longer you leave it the tougher it'll be.

The game needs you, so chin up!

 

[oldman]

Psychic,
Many thanks for your post, like others I have been their (many times).
Please consider continuing. I am lucky my job allows me time off mid-week and I have developed a number of contacts in local schools. The PE teachers will phone and I referee there younger age group sides. These are fun, less cheating, more 'pure' rugby and generally the players just want to play. OK so no beer afterwards, but it helped me no end re positioning.
Listen to the advise being given it is all good. Everyone on this forum has had a bad game, the best advise is 'get back on the bike asap'
Please let us know how you get on

 

[Taff]

.... the coach really shouldn't be reffing: .... Perhaps he's secretly dying for you to step up and offer to take the reffing off his hands?

If he's anything like our local coach, he'll be over the moon if someone volunteers to ref. The local coach will now hunt me out to ask if I will run the line; he will do it if he has to but would far rather keep an eye on his team than everything else.

... I am lucky my job allows me time off mid-week and I have developed a number of contacts in local schools. The PE teachers will phone and I referee there younger age group sides. These are fun, less cheating, more 'pure' rugby and generally the players just want to play. OK so no beer afterwards, but it helped me no end re positioning.

Bang on. I'm lucky that I can get to referee a local Secondary schools games. The kids are pretty unforgiving if / when you make a mistake, there are hardly ever any parents so the pressure is as close to zero as you can get. You'd be surprised how quickly it builds your confidence.

 

[The Fat]

Hi Psychic,

As you have seen from most of the responses, everyone knows to some extent how you feel.
My first game was supposed to be an U13s match that was washed out. Two weeks later I debuted in a senior game so I can relate to a lot of what you have written. Like others, I admire the courage it took to post your honest self appraisal.
If I may offer something for you to consider.
1) Try to go to local games that are being reffed by someone considered to be a good ref and watch his positioning, how he gets there quickly, how calmly he talks to the players and how he uses tone to communicate. Do this as often as you can. It's a good excuse to take your son to the rugby.
2) Whilst observing, referee the game in your head.
3) Do an AR's course and run touch for as high a level as you are comfortable with for your society and get to know the assessors and referees.
4) If possible, at some stage, see if you can sit along side an assessor when he is watching a good ref and see if you can listen through the comms gear. If that can be arranged, you will really learn a lot about communication with players.
5) Try to start with reffing U14s
6) Don't give up

After my baptism of fire in the seniors, my next 3 games were juniors and the 3rd U14s game was an absolute joy to be a part of. It is an easy age group to help you to get your positioning sorted out.
I have a good guide book for refereeing here somewhere. If I can find a PDF copy, I'll send it to you.

Cheers

 

[Davet]

Psychic

You've just done part one of the advanced refereeing course.

Part two is easier, you have learned a lot and can start to hang it together.

You say you missed a lot- so do all refs, look at Bryce Lawrence ...

Players will yap at you, if you let them. Just be firm and calm, "gents, keep quiet, please. Questions through the captain, and no appeals. If you continue then I'll have to penalise."

Next comment, ping.

You say that you feel as if you are at fault for a wrong decision, and penalising the commentary would compound your fault. It doesn't. All players have been on the wrong end of poor decisions, because all refs make them, and most make at least one poor decisions every game. The players know they cannot comment and dispute, if they choose to do so then they are responsible for the consequences, not you.

Anything worth doing has some pain attached, and if reffing was easy then any fool could do it. Grit teeth and suffer a little longer, like a long steep climb up a mountain it can be painful and you may well want to stop, but if you persevere it will be well worth it, and you will have not only achieved something to be proud of but you will make many friends along the way.

 

[OB..]

Psychic - perhaps you could offer to referee a few adult training sessions at your club?

 

[Deadman]

Hi
I was playing in this game and after reading your post I thought as a player I would just put My view across
Just a few points.
1. You were the quietest ref I've had ref a game
If you let the players know why you blew even if
It was right or wrong you would not of had their captain
Chatting to you all game and may stop the
Frustration of players not knowing why they had
Been penalised which as a player felt crepted into the game.
2.
It seemed that you were swayed by the older players in what they thought
What was happening from both sides. Instead of sticking to your guns
3.
You should of given a yellow or 2 which would of made players stop an think about there actions before saying anything about your refing.
4. When you've blown the whistle make your signals clear I.e when giving a penalty etc etc
I give you full respected as I've seen refs who have been given abit of stick just give up on the game and it just goes into mass mayhem!!!! But you carried on till the end

 

[Taff]

I was playing in this game and after reading your post I thought as a player I would just put My view across
Just a few points.
1. You were the quietest ref I've had ref a game If you let the players know why you blew even if It was right or wrong you would not of had their captain
Chatting to you all game and may stop the Frustration of players not knowing why they had Been penalised which as a player felt crepted into the game.

I reckon it must be a common problem because I did the same - possibly because I didn't know exactly what I wanted to say, but I knew something looked wrong. And if in doubt, people tend to clam up. As he gets more confident, he will know what he wants to say.

2. It seemed that you were swayed by the older players in what they thought What was happening from both sides. Instead of sticking to your guns ..

There's an old Army saying "The important thing is to make a decision. If it happens to be the right decision - that's even better".

As with a lot of Army sayings as well as being humerous, they usually hit the nail smack on the head. It probably would have worked better for the ref in your game.

 

[crossref]

There's an old Army saying "The important thing is to make a decision. If it happens to be the right decision - that's even better".

It probably would have worked better for the ref in your game.

What I think is hard is mastering the technique of forgetting about a wrong decision -- I don't mean forgetting completely, its a learning point to remember later -- but the need to put it outr of your mind there and then on the pitch. You can't run around reffing, mind still niggled by a bad call three minutes ago... I think that's quite a big difference between being new and being experienced. It's partly making fewer mistakes, but it's partly that a mistake doesn't put a good ref off-balance. Psychics post describes quite well the sense of becoming overwhelmed by doubts.

 

[OB..]

So, after passing my ELRA two seasons back, I finally got round to actually reffing my first game today. A level 11 adult game - a couple of ‘seconds’ teams - but still a league match, so the result was (I presume) important.

Perhaps worth pointing out for some that in Somerset they do not have Merit Tables or similar (though a few clubs have teams in the Gloucestershire Reserve Leagues). Their lower teams play in the RFU league structure. This game was in the bottom such league.

 

[The Fat]

Psychic,

Here is a link to a PDF download of "Rugby Refereeing in Practice".
There are some handy tips in there.
http://www.irb.com/mm/document/training/0/rugbyrefinpractice_426.pdf



Also one for the more learned among us
http://www.irb.com/mm/document/training/0/refereecoachinginpractise_1096.pdf

 

[Dixie]

Psychic, I fully understand your reluctance to get back on the horse. I will say, however, that there are loads of refs who have come on here after a car-crash game, in much the same state of dismay as you were. Every time, they've been nudged back into the fray with the promise that the next game will be a completely different experience - and guess what? As often as not, they've reported that the next game was an absolute joy to ref, restored their faith in themselves and human nature, and thus starts a prolonged period of sustained enjoyment, until they eventually have another bad game (no-one is immune at any level; ask Bryce Lawrence).

Someone (they'll doubtless hold up their hand) suggested that three in a row like that was the time to quit for ever. I'm pretty sure he's still on here!

 

[stuart3826]

After giving it some time and reflection over the weekend, I think it is going to be some time before I return to refereeing adult rugby. Whilst I knew that there was going to be a lot I needed to learn and work on, I really did not expect how unpleasant the whole experience was going to be. And, for something that I really wanted to do – voluntarily – I just don’t think I can justify the amount of emotional trauma that I sustained, both from the teams and the spectators.

The ‘step up’, in my experience, is not an easy one, and certainly not what I’d expected from a rugby environment. To be honest, I don’t think I was ever made to feel that bad during my tenure as a football referee!

I have spoken to my society who have offered to get an assessor to go out with me next time I want to ref, but to be honest, that wouldn’t be enough to get me through it anyway. Having a friend on the sideline doesn’t really help when you’re stuck in the middle!

Apart from that, I’m not really sure what I can do to build up experience/confidence.

I think it's a real shame you feel this way.

A common theme on this fred is the number of people who had very similar experiences first few times out. I certainly well remember my first game, I was shocked by the amount of helpful advice I was offered, until it suddenly clicked - most of the players haven't got a scooby doo. They're just used to offering helpful little snippets - and unfortunately for new refs, often wrong snippets.

The only way to get experience is to go back out there and do it again. Don't let on you're new or nervous, be confident and be clear in how you communicate your decisions. Stamp out the advice by telling the skippers everything has to come through them. Tell them you will explain what a decision was, but you will not enter into any discussion - once made, it stands. Use Ask, Tell, Penalise for offenders, and then if that fails to grip it, :yellow:

Please try again soon, and pob lwc!

 

[didds]

Apart from that, I’m not really sure what I can do to build up experience/confidence..

as has already been suggested... reffing youth matches. Contact a clutch of clubs and ioffer your services. they'll bite your hand off!

didds

 

[Lee Lifeson-Peart]

I think refereeing youth rugby is the way to go.

As suggested get involved at a local club with an U13/14s side. If you can referee them every home game that should be about a dozen games a year. Or do the U13 and U14s whenever each is at home perhaps??

Longer term continue with them through U14-15-16 by which time your experience will grow at the rate of progress the boys make as players. The games will get faster but by that time you will have gradually acclimatised to that. By U16/U17 refereeing adults (technically) is a piece of piss - the challenge comes from managing the players. Again after 2 or 3 years of juniors your skills (law knowledge included) will be honed to allow you to "see and manage" (again based on greater self confidence derived from game time) rather than trying to do everything at once in an 80 minute blur.

Coaches should be delighted at the offer of help as they invariably have to do it and it is a necessary evil for most. I got into refereeing via this route (as did lots on here) as my son was playing and I was watching anyway.

Best of luck. Keep us informed.

Cheers!:hap:

 

[Dixie]

I think refereeing youth rugby is the way to go.

As suggested get involved at a local club with an U13/14s side. If you can referee them every home game that should be about a dozen games a year. Or perhaps do the U13 and U14s whenever each is at home perhaps?

I agree, though we recognize you've said that it may not be possible due to the coach of your son's age group doing the refereeing. Others have suggested finding out whether this is something he's be delighted to relinquish; even if the answer is no, offer to referee practice games at the end of training sessions, or referee the B-team fixture (it's rare for both A and B teams of an age group to play at the same time, as very often the B's will sit on the subs bench for the A's).

Do please keep your hand in. U.13 and U.14 are extremely benign environments for a ref, allowing you to build up confidence. They play in totally different patterns from adults, but the issues you'll need to adjudicate in the adult game will all crop up over time with juniors. You worry about U.15 and testosterone; actually, that's far more an issue with U.16. U.15 rarely presents a management challenge; don't forget the lads were U.14 last year. I think you are over-compensating here.

 

[didds]

I agree, though we recognize you've said that it may not be possible due to the coach of your son's age group doing the refereeing.

But its unlikely that his son's team play every week - so he could ref other games the weeks when he is not watching his son play. Even U12s would be worthwhile here I reckon - its all but the full game in half a pitch so LOTS of contact area to hone skills on

didds