Whether you are refereeing in training (a good thing!) or have to referee your team on a Sunday (not such a good thing!), you will probably find yourself refereeing in some capacity this season.
You will need to be confident that you can apply the laws as a coach to satisfy referees who take charge of your team. And if you do find yourself reffing, then it’s far more than that…game management, crowd control, position, language, whistle control and signals.
Thank you to the great twitter-sphere, here is a summary of the insightful responses of those who find themselves reffing their team on a Sunday morning. MORE
Referees are very sharp on ball poachers who put their hands on the ground before grabbing for the ball. You must make your players whiter-than-whiter and also far more accurate in this area. It will reduce your penalty count and increase your chances of stealing the ball. Make sure that your ball poaching is not... MORE
You might hope not to have to get involved in refereeing, or “game coaching” as it is becoming known, or you might be dead keen to try. These days the objective is a free-flowing game, so the person with the whistle is more of a helper than a referee. Each side having a coach is... MORE
Because there are so many possible situations at rucks, teaching these skills is a real challenge for coaches. You need to create a balance of good techniques first and then bring them into game contexts as soon as possible. MORE
The more players learn, the more they improve. Learning is about retaining relevant knowledge and then using it in the right context. Our expectation is that our training sessions will do this. We are probably not that scientific in our approach, though the main thrust of what we do tends to lead to improvements. Let’s tighten this up with some training ideas and solutions to give our players more opportunities to learn MORE
Encourage your players to make themselves more difficult to tackle with evasive skills. Here are four different sessions to help players understand and then development their footwork. MORE
In the busy preparation for the season, core skills training plays a vital part in building better outcomes under pressure. Rugby Coach Weekly has a strong focus on this area, with expert analysis and sessions to improve players at all levels. MORE
Getting ready for training needs players to get their bodies and minds in tune. Play lots of games to motivate and engage the players. Then break out into skills zones where your players can start to concentrate on the details. Here are four warm-up skills activities which can be mixed into your training routines, all from our growing video archive. MORE
