World Rugby announced that Alain Rolland is to step down from his role as 15s High Performance Match Officials Manager at the end of July 2020.
Following a strong showing by the match officials during Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan, World Rugby say that “Rolland departs with the high-performance match official structures in great shape having implemented world-class performance and management programmes during his tenure.”
He has held the role for four years having played internationally for Ireland before taking up the whistle, culminating in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final.
As head of elite fifteens refereeing with World Rugby, Rolland created the platform for the world’s top match officials to thrive on the world stage.
By focusing on a strong performance culture, Rolland was part of a refreshed selection process that implemented stronger collaboration with national team coaches, union and competition referee managers and broadcasters. He opened the way for the emergence of new talent on the road for Rugby World Cup 2019 with the likes of Luke Pearce, Nic Berry, Paul Williams, Ben O’Keeffe and co who will undoubtedly form the backbone of future selections, including Rugby World Cup 2023.
Following the completion of a successful four-year cycle, Rolland believes the time is right to seek new challenges and spend more time with his family.
Rolland said, “It has been an enormous privilege to work with such an exceptional team of match officials and staff at World Rugby over the last four years. Collectively, we have always strived to improve, to be the best we can be, and I am very proud of what the match officials have achieved and grateful for their full support along the way.
“I also appreciated the relationship with the national team coaches based on mutual respect and open communication. They, like us, want to see consistency and ultimately a better game, which has been evidenced through our workshops and joint role in assisting with ongoing law reviews.
“It has been a challenging but rewarding journey. I have worked with some incredible people, but the time is right to dial back the travel, spend more time with my family and move forward with my new business ventures.”
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont praised Rolland, saying “Alain has been at the forefront of raising the performance bar for match officials, adjusting to law interpretations and amendments and developing a strong team culture along the way, which was very apparent over the last four years culminating in Rugby World Cup.
“I would like to thank Alain for his dedicated contribution and he will be a tough act to follow. He leaves with a tremendous legacy and a superb group of match officials who, I am sure, will be in excellent shape at Rugby World Cup 2021 in New Zealand and Rugby World Cup 2023 in France.”
The process to recruit Rolland’s replacement will be announced in due course.
RugbyReferee.net, editor Keith Lewis commented, “Being Head of World Rugby referees is never going to be an easy job, and it’s not all been plain sailing. However, Alain had the experience to bring about a much needed change of approach in refereeing at the top. He managed to strike some form of balance between the needs of the elite referee group with the wider game and leaves the group in a strong place. He should be congratulated on that and we wish him well in his future ventures.
“It will be interesting to see the jockeying of those around the world to replace Alain. After two Northern hemisphere incumbents (Alain succeeded Joel Jutge from France in the role) I suspect eyes may focus elsewhere, but there are some very strong contenders out there. There are some hugely experienced match officials on the cusp of retiring from the refereeing who may see this as a strong opportunity, as well as some very experienced match official managers in Unions around the world. Definitely one to watch.”
Head to our RefSquad community group to discuss this and any other refereeing matter – who do you think will replace Rolland?
Alain Rolland was an inspiration for me as a young referee.
He always seemed to enjoy the role as ‘The Man in the Middle” and that is what being a ref is all about. Once I finished my playing days, refereeing was the best way for me to NOT ‘give up the game’. I admit I did copy some of his style and tried to keep smiling to emulate his ‘easy manner’.
I hope your successor does as good a job.
Cheers
Adam Wiltshire