Sitting behind the scenes of any successful referees club/association are the real unsung heroes, the Referee Coaches.  A tiresome group of volunteers (usually retired referees, but not always) who travel across the rohe and observe our team of referees in action on the field doing the hard yards and refereeing rugby games.  Armed with clipboard in hand, they observe and make copious amounts of notes.  Then at a later date, once the referee has had time to reflect, the referee coach and referee catch up to discuss the match.  The referee's goals for the match are discussed, with any starting point being the actual reality of the actual match.  The two will colaborate to see:

1. What worked well,
   
2. What might be done differently,
   
3. What can the referee practice next time.  

In some cases, the referee will prepare a Game Plan and then review their own performance using reflection , perhaps with access to game footage.   The Referee Coach will also review the referee's performance and provide some current reality, maybe confirm or challenge the referee's own view of their performance.

At the conclusion of any conversation, a report is written, shared between the two and then both move on to the next game they are appointed to.

2026 Referee Coaches