Where did the enjoyment go?

[SimonSmith]

Am I getting crotchety in my old(er) age?

Last week I had to speak to the Coach.

This week - has to tell the Home Coach that I was about to clear the sidelines of about 100 people if unacceptable behavior continued.

Started with abuse of me for missing a "forward" pass. Dead level (thanks 5m line!)
The barracking of the away hooker as he's about to throw in.

Told the coach that it was unacceptable, and needed to cease. Support of your team is great, personal abuse or attacks aimed to distract a player was not.

2 min later, penalty to Away on the 22m and 15m line. He's lining it up when an outbreak of abuse and noise begins from the Home sideline.
Call coach over and tell him to make it clear that if that behavior persists, I'll clear the lines.

Kicker lines up. I watch as he runs up, and the noise from the sidelines starts up, with a particularly loud shout from the sideline just prior to impact.

Call Coach over and tell him that the sideline is going to be cleared, else we won't restart after half time. Sideline going berserk, particularly when I tell the kicker to line up again. He slots the kick. Coach comes over and tells me the drunk idiot has left the field. Peace restored, and sidelines are well behaved.

The end of the match is marred by a RC. Blue winger breaks away up the right. I don't have a good view of him and the touchline, but am anticipating the tackle ahead of him. He beats that, and makes it into in-goal.
Just as he puts the ball down, Grey player slides in studs first and takes him out at the ankles. A little flurry of handbags. Issue RC blah blah...Turns out that a VERY late flag 20m away has gone up.

His justification afterwards - he was sliding in to get his legs under the ball or kick it away, he never intended to hurt him.
Didn't understand the law about kicking the ball out in the act of grounding, or that in all honesty the going in on the ankles studs first was not perhaps a good idea.
Coach's view: the whole thing was my fault for missing the foot in touch.

I am rapidly falling out of love with this. Stupid players, stupid coaches and no-one taking accountability.
Throw in the (and I'm not kidding) 160plus e-mails on scheduling this week - none constructive - and I REALLY wonder why the hell I do this.

Next week: Women's College D1 with a really rather cute S/half. Let's see if that helps things.

 

[Simon Griffiths]

Sorry to hear you had a shitty match. As I mentioned a few weeks ago I was feeling a little disillusioned too (although thankfully not for the same reasons). A couple of weeks Stateside refereeing guys who were playing in tournaments because they loved rugby, and staying with guys who referee because they love rugby turned me around slightly. I realised that I love rugby too, and even if, at times, my Saturday afternoon feels like a chore, there are far more occassions when it doesn't. If I stopped there would have been a hole that I would need to fill, because 8 or 9 times out of 10 I have a great afternoon.

If the women's college teams of the Eastern Rockies were anything to go by, there's probably a lot more than just the one rather cute player. I had to put on a tight pair of shorts on the second day so as not to give the game away... :wow:

 

[Simon Griffiths]

PS. How would you justify allowing a re-kick for the action of someone in the crowd? (Just interested).

 

[ddjamo]

girls are usually very thankful for a good ref...and some short, short shorts on a hottie sh helps...that will turn you around!

went through it myself...then had an awesome college match - both sides thanked me afterward and both asked me to request all the matches of theirs I could...makes it all worthwhile...

mention the crowd in your match report and make sure it's noted...I did and it helped!

 

[Simon Griffiths]

Actually just remembered that despite my trip re-invigorating me, I did have the misfortune of refereeing Kansas City... :wait: One bad team/set of supporters did not a bad tournament make however.

 

[SimonSmith]

PS. How would you justify allowing a re-kick for the action of someone in the crowd? (Just interested).

In the same way that "If I hear those comments I assume that they are directed at me", I had reasonable grounds to believe that the comment came from the substitutes.

I'm not sure I'm justified in law, tbh - I was, in the moment, wanting to reinforce my point. The game was well beyond the away team, even at that juncture.

 

[SimonSmith]

Sorry to hear you had a shitty match. As I mentioned a few weeks ago I was feeling a little disillusioned too (although thankfully not for the same reasons). A couple of weeks Stateside refereeing guys who were playing in tournaments because they loved rugby, and staying with guys who referee because they love rugby turned me around slightly. I realised that I love rugby too, and even if, at times, my Saturday afternoon feels like a chore, there are far more occassions when it doesn't. If I stopped there would have been a hole that I would need to fill, because 8 or 9 times out of 10 I have a great afternoon.

If the women's college teams of the Eastern Rockies were anything to go by, there's probably a lot more than just the one rather cute player. I had to put on a tight pair of shorts on the second day so as not to give the game away... :wow:

You're probably right. I have had a week at work that just defies description for awfulness, and that is compounding things.

Dude - TMI, really. I know this team well, and the 9 and I get on well. She's the epitome of a good player and captain, and a fantastic athlete. Pity she's also about 15 years younger than me

I know it's a phase, just two bad weeks on the bounce. Also concerns me that it affects my refereeing. I think I have a reputation for being a nice guy who has a zero tolerance approach to BS. I feel the dial's moving slightly in the wrong direction.

 

[Deeps]

Hang in there Simon, just because others don't measure up it doesn't mean you need to change your outlook. Your comments took me back a few years to South Carolina, I can visualise very similar situations. I well remember the passion of both players and supporters which was often very partisan and could carry on well after the final whistle.

I enjoyed a Merit Table game today where a couple of the County's finest 2nd XVs slugged it out in uncharacteristic heat. Nice close game where ELVs were taken in their stride although this season's iRB directives have far greater impact. It's not difficult to deal with players on the floor, the penny drops quite quickly, especially with the odd YC thrown in but the most difficult task of the day was keeping the scrum halves honest, all four of them. Very difficult to pull out a YC for 'not straight' where old habits are dying hard indeed, needing lots of 'management' to get it in straight including 'It's so easy, I cannot understand why you keep getting it wrong!'

I only went to one proper American football game and thoroughly enjoyed the occasion yet I do not remember any animosity being shown toward the officials. Is this form of referee barracking you describe common in USA rugby or is it just an occasional symptom of the easy/open access to rugby games for those who spot an easy target who cannot defend himself?

 

[OB..]

the most difficult task of the day was keeping the scrum halves honest

I had the most blatant not-straight I have ever seen yesterday. The scrum had been reset, and the ref did not stand back quite as far as usual, keeping a close eye on things. The street-wise scrumhalf realised the referee could not see through him and one-handed threw the ball sideways into the second row.

Everybody on the touchline saw it (including a referee coach) but the referee could not. Fortunately he had to reset the scrum again, and unknowingly did not repeat the situation.

 

[Simon Griffiths]

There was a little animosity when the ref cocked up a potentially game changing fumble/incomplete pass call a couple of weeks ago in the Broncos v Chargers match... Thankfully (from his side of things) it went for the home side...

 

[SimonSmith]

I only went to one proper American football game and thoroughly enjoyed the occasion yet I do not remember any animosity being shown toward the officials. Is this form of referee barracking you describe common in USA rugby or is it just an occasional symptom of the easy/open access to rugby games for those who spot an easy target who cannot defend himself?

Alcohol, plus college kids.

There is a real dichotomy as to how refs get treated. Sometimes, it is a great experience with nothing but respect and mutual exchanges of views that seek understanding, good humor etc etc. That, basedon previous experience should be next week.

Then there are others. The ex national coach has on occasion been asked to depart the playing enclosure. Now, I have many issues with Sir Clive (he's English and he won the World Cup ), but you would never expect that from him.

I actually get less stressed personally usually when it's directed at me, as opposed to at an opposition player. That said, I'm thinking about next week's guy when I hear it.

 

[Dickie E]

This week - has to tell the Home Coach that I was about to clear the sidelines of about 100 people if unacceptable behavior continued.

Started with abuse of me for missing a "forward" pass. Dead level (thanks 5m line!)
The barracking of the away hooker as he's about to throw in.

Told the coach that it was unacceptable, and needed to cease. Support of your team is great, personal abuse or attacks aimed to distract a player was not.

when you say 'abuse' do you mean "you're hopeless ref, that was forward" or do you mean "ref, you're a f**king cheating c**t"?

Of course, 'personal abuse' is not acceptable but cat calls aimed at distracting a player is, I would think, par for the course.

 

[Phil E]

Simon

Not the same kind of situation, but I sometimes feel like you when I have turned out in all weathers, given it my best, but because the home team lost, or they are just so incompetant that they will never win a rugby match as long as their ar**s point downwards, no one speaks to you in the bar afterwards and you stand on your own with a beer thinking, "why do I bother".

Then I get a game like yesterday, few niggles, but generally good, both teams trying hard and you hear a comment from the huddle like "refs doing a good job, just keep your muths shut and play to the whistle".

Clapped off the field after the game, everyone shakes your hand and you go home with a smile.

I am afraid its like life, lots of boredom, loads of shit, but every now and again there is a ray of sunshine and life is good.

Stick in there mate, even Jocks deserve a break :wink:

 

[Deeps]

I am afraid its like life, lots of boredom, loads of shit, but every now and again there is a ray of sunshine and life is good.

Never was a truer word....you have summed it up well Phil.

 

[SimonSmith]

when you say 'abuse' do you mean "you're hopeless ref, that was forward" or do you mean "ref, you're a f**king cheating c**t"?

Of course, 'personal abuse' is not acceptable but cat calls aimed at distracting a player is, I would think, par for the course.

No-one has a problem with the former in moderation. It was tending to the latter.

 

[SimonSmith]

And so to this week.

Left home at 0800 to get to the first of three games, all at the same location - Mad Bowl in Charlottesville.

Temperature was warm, eventually rising to mid 80s. And as a side note Kooga shorts? Fantastic. Dry for the whole day.

The rugby was varied. The good stuff was very good. For a College Women's team there was pace power and aggression, as well as some nice running lines. I also liked the aggressive defence of the home team

The attitude was just great. Everyone was appreciative of the extra effort expended. Not one call of dissent, either from players or sidelines. Positive support only. Players - and more importantly, the captains - trying to adjust to the referee.

A long day - I didn't get back home until after 6, and my legs were sore. However, in comparison to last week, thoroughly enjoyable and didn't leave me questioning what the hell I'm doing.

Now, if I can just the appointments stuff sorted out!

 

[Simon Griffiths]

The days that make it all worth while. :bday: