Painful experience

[Mike Whittaker]

Have recently watched a referee with a seriously pulled leg muscle attempt to manage a county U16 game... Every time he managed to hobble within about 20 yards of play (he did have a very loud voice) the little blighters would kick diagonally and leave him in the distance waving his arms in some original signalling. After about half an hour he eventually handed over to another referee... one who had just officiated a full game shortly before.

Fortunately it was not an official 'watch' and so I could escape any post match discussions. Just do not know where I would have started...

 

[ExHookah]

I went through the experience of reffing with a pulled muscle, although fortunately for me it was only for the final 2 minutes of the match. It's amazing how suddenly powerless you feel when you are unable to race around the pitch at your normal speed ("race around" being a subjective term for some of us of course!).

 

[tim White]

At an exchange fixture about a year ago I suffered a calf problem, sore but not critical. It did occur to me that perhaps I should give it up but decided to carry on as it didn't get any worse. naturally it slowed me down.
The assessor was not sympathetic in the slightest, hammered me for being late, penalising second or third offence, not up with play.
So, accept that when injured someone else might do it better, and/or risk a poor assessment. This still grates as I was trying so hard to complete the match and got no credit for carrying on whilst limping and having attention from a physio at half time.
Ironically I was also criticised for penalising a winger for dissent, and ten metres for repeating it-because it was from a member of the crowd standing behind him, who just happened to be right next to the assessor.

 

[Fabio]

It almost happened to me, but I was a little luckier: I had a pulled muscle in a sprint just after I called "last play, lads!". The downside was that the PK that took place when I said that was taken at halfway and the team decided to run and a try was scored... of course when it happened I was still trying to reach the 22 line... but fortunately nothing illegal happened during their run... (or I hope so)

 

[ex-lucy]

what a quandary .... carry on and hope it gets better or stop and hand it over ?

i think it depends on the situation .... and how bad the injury is ..

i have been caught out with calf pulls/ achilles issues etc .... but hobbled through the game, luckily this was usually in Junior matches etc with no real damage to results and no advisors around.

One senior match, i pulled an abductor/ adductor (inside my thigh), just before half time. I stretched and sprayed with deep heat etc, physio helped a bit, I warned both teams that i may not be able to continue and looked round for an alternative ref ....

none found ... what with beer flowing etc ..

Both captains asked me to continue as best i could ..... and as long as i didnt change direction too severly and quickly i was ok.

A few years ago ... i began to notice that my performances on a Sunday were directly related to the quantity of beer i had the evening before..... so decided that it wasnt fair on the junior lads i was reffing on a Sunday to drink more than 12 pints.... (i was a 1st xv prop at the time)

then 10 ...
then 8 ..
nowadays, cos i am more serious, and seen the errors of my ways, i have cut right down ...