#refexchange

What’s in a name? Shakespeare would be pleased to be quoted by a traveler in his home land but had Rugby existed in his time he certainly wouldn’t have recognized what I officiated on Wednesday. The Gloucester Old Boys is a deceiving name as their players were mostly young and unlikely to make the Gloucester Premier side. Brockworth was more athletic, skilled, and passionate despite only arriving with 11 players and adding enough for a side by the time we kicked off which was 15 minutes late.

We made the best of it and there were moments of brilliant rugby but the host side had some injuries that eventually resulted in uncontested scrums. They also had a lock who could use an education in difference between mauls and tackle/rucks which he received via a public lecture following an off hand remark which was both offensive and deserving of a card. We played on and the player found himself in the bin for a dangerous tackle… Justice served :)

As mentioned, Brockworth dominated with a scoreline of 51-10. It was a match that could have gotten even more out of hand or even turned into a brawl had the tempers not been properly managed. Twenty-two penalties was certainly higher than my previous match (12) but right on my season average. As the assessor said, this match could have easily had thirty penalties so I did well to keep it at 22. My ARs were brilliant as we kicked it old school without the use of a communication kit. I requested that they only signal foul play while helping me manage offsides, side entry, and other minor infringements. I prefer having the ARs there to manage rather than relying on them to make calls…with the obvious exception of foul play. Guess that makes me a traditionalist of sorts :)

Similar feedback from the assessor as I generally talk too much. It’s fine when facilitating a U19 match but not when the players know what they’re doing. As our host Ade Danks told me, “just shut up!” Will try that on Saturday…Sure Peg won’t mind ;). He also passed on some wisdom from Chris White, former IRB referee from Gloucester, that I should strive to show my secondary signal 3 times before resignaling my primary call. My goals going into the match were purely image based as the video from Saturday reviewed a few things. The biggest was my breathing as it sounded far too heavy on the recording. Every assessors has said I’m very fit but I made that observation as a point of control. I’ve also noticed that I go from very calm/collected referee to disappointed spectator when there are a number of resets. Trying to keep my head up and maintain that even keeled demeanor my assessors always love. Also wanted to work on my lineout positioning as I had ARs and could really experiment. Not a fan of the position they recommend but will try it again Saturday. Doesn’t hurt to give it that old college try ;)

Tuesday and Wednesday were the touristy portion of our trip with visits to Blenheim Palace (top) and Oxford (bottom). The palace was breathtaking and full of rich history. It was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill whose grandparents were the Duke and Duchess at the time. Just as cool was the Louis the XV memorabilia as the first Duke of Marlborough had defeated the French so a later Duke purchased the painting and chandelier from Versailles after it was ransacked during the French Revolution.

Open roof tour bus of Oxford today before our matches at 6. The top middle pic is the science museum while the rest is cool architecture. Had lunch in the Turf Tavern which felt like cask heaven.

Perfect start to the tour and even greater wife! Forgot our tour kit, polos, and ties at home. By “our” of course I mean my fellow traveler’s as mine were stowed safely in my kit bag. Super Wife saves the day as she left work early, rushed home, and got them to us with plenty of time to spare. She’s ah-mazing! Incredible! Have I mentioned I really love my wife? She’s the greatest!