Greg Garner, the Elite Referee Manager at the Pro14 has reaffirmed his desire to move to completely neutral match official teams in this year’s Pro14, which kicks off this weekend in Bloemfontein.
The first six rounds of the season all have neutral referees appointed, with the majority of Assistant Referee 2 and Television Match Official appointments are neutral. Naturally, with the travel costs and time commitment required of the non-professional officials to travel to and from South Africa, it’s not a 100% possible to appoint fully neutral teams of four for every match.
This weekend’s line-up of referees (see below) will combine for a total of 353 Championship appearances with an average of 50 appearances per official. Five of the seven referees have experienced World Rugby international fixtures as well.
Speaking ahead of the season, Garner spoke about the progress that has been made in recent seasons. “It’s positive news that we have been able to confirm neutral referee appointments all the way up to Round 6. We understand the demands that exist around the selection of neutral match officials and the key to this was always ensuring the capability existed to deliver on that.
“Throughout the first six rounds capability and experience will go hand-in-hand and to see the combination of over 350 appearances available across this weekend’s referees is very reassuring. A huge amount of work has gone on in the background to ensure our match officials are better prepared than ever before and that we are pushing them to achieve higher standards.
“Already, we have implemented new review processes for our referees that include a greater level of independent assessment. We introduced dedicated analysts to ensure we are accurately tracking their performances and established a full review and feedback process is in place with every Head Coach and Director of Rugby in the Guinness PRO14.
“For the first time, we recently held a joint meeting with all of our referees and coaches ahead of the start of the season to ensure we are delivering a standard of rugby that benefits the Championship and allows our teams the opportunity to play in a consistent environment. An agreed list of focus areas was identified which will ensure our teams can thrive so that the Guinness PRO14 can continue to build its reputation for engaging and entertaining rugby.”
The focus areas – somewhat predictably – are around the breakdown, scrum, lineout & maul, space and foul play. They were established in a collaborative discussion with coaches and referees. In each area a ‘Critical Few’ factors were identified in order to set performance markers and goals. These guidelines have been shared with all match officials, clubs and stakeholders with referee performances being judged against these criteria. The process around the TMO has also been targeted in order to facilitate more consistent outcomes during the coming season.
Good luck to the whole Pro14 officials team as they start their campaign!
Pro14 – Week 1 referee, AR and TMO appointments
Toyota Cheetahs v Glasgow Warriors
Referee: Dan Jones (WRU, 25th Championship game)
ARS: Ben Crouse (SARU) & Griffin Colby (SARU)
TMO: Lourens Van Der Merve (SARU)
Ulster v Ospreys
Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR, 91st Championship game)
ARS: Sean Gallagher (IRFU) & Andrea Piardi (FIR)
TMO: Stefano Penne (FIR)
Munster v Dragons
Referee: Ben Blain (SRU, 3rd Championship game)
ARs: Frank Murphy (IRFU) & Fin Brown (SRU)
TMO: Andrew McMenemy (SRU)
Isuzu Southern Kings v Cardiff Blues
Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU, 36th Championship game)
ARs: Divan Uys (SARU) & Paul Mente (SARU)
TMO: Christie Du Preez (SARU)
Benetton Rugby v Leinster
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU, 59th Championship game)
ARs: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR) & Gwyn Morris (WRU)
TMO: Sean Brickell (WRU)
Scarlets v Connacht
Referee: Stuart Berry (SARU, 24th Championship game)
ARs: Rasta Rasivhenge (SARU) & Mike English (WRU)
TMO: Ian Davies (WRU)
Edinburgh v Zebre
Referee: George Clancy (IRFU, 115th Championship games)
ARs: Sam Grove-White (SRU) & Mark Patton (IRFU)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (IRFU)
