Welcome to the Referees Pages of the BSRFC Site
CLUB REFEREES AND REFEREEING
This information page is aimed at any players, supporters and officials of the club who are interested in how the game is refereed or who may be thinking about taking up refereeing. Even if you only want to understand what’s happening on a Sunday morning, this is the place for you to find refereeing updates, analysis and explanation.
If you have any questions about refereeing, let us know and we will do our best to get them answered and post the replies here. You can e-mail either of us or look out for us at the club on a Sunday morning.
Peter Brady Keith Edgeworth
07743824230 07905 153141
Club Referees: The club is fortunate to have a large group of fully qualified and experienced referees, some of whom also referee in adult rugby for the Herts Referees Society, to cover all of the clubs matches involving the boys u13 to u18, girls u16 to u18 and women’s teams. The club referees are all volunteers who, like the youth coaches, give up their Sundays so that players can enjoy competitive rugby.
Ready to Ref Course: The RFU’s Ready to Ref course is a mix of pre-course eLearning, face to face sessions and post-course support. It aims to introduce the potential referee to key concepts about safety, equity and enjoyment of refereeing. The course is designed to give candidates the necessary practical and theoretical skills to allow them to take up refereeing in the adult and youth game.
Further details are available on RFU Referee Courses
Pre-match checks: Our referees always introduce themselves to both coaches well before the kick-off time, brief them on any particular points that need to be clarified, check whether they have a full front row and front row replacements and confirm the match length. The goal posts must be properly fitted with post protectors. The game will not start if they are not. Every pitch must have flags in place on the halfway line, 22m line and goal line – all 1m back from the touchline.
Briefings: The referee will brief each team’s front row to check that they fully understand the scrum engagement sequence and also check that the scrum half understands the law about positioning at the scrum. Players’ studs are checked every time for safety reasons. All types of studs are acceptable as long as there are no sharp edges, points etc. A single stud at the toe of the boot remains illegal - there must be a pair. Ear studs, rings etc must be removed if possible – if an item can’t be removed, it must be securely taped up.
Touch judges: Each team is responsible for providing a touch judge whose duties are limited to flagging when the ball is in touch and indicating whether kicks at goal have been successful or not. The referee can never award a scrum, free kick, penalty or try or issue a yellow or red card on the say so of a touch judge (the position is different is the referee is supported by fully qualified Assistant Referees from the Referees Society or the club’s refereeing group).
Touchline behaviour: RFU and Herts Rugby rules insist that all spectators stand behind a pitch barrier and that coaches and replacements stay in designated technical areas. Click [here] for a copy of the club’s detailed policy on touchline behaviour.
Injured players: Our referees will introduce ourselves to each team’s medic before the kick off and brief them that they should come onto the pitch as soon as they see that a player is down and not wait for formal permission from the referee.
The Laws entitle the referee to require a player to be replaced if the referee doesn’t think that the player is safe to continue, even if the coach and medic disagree. A player who has a head injury or who shows any signs of concussion must be removed from the pitch and cannot return under any circumstances.
Contrary to what most players, coaches and spectators believe, there is no rule that play must stop as soon as an injured player is down. It is always a matter of judgement for the referee depending on how serious the injury looks, the location/direction of play and whether play is likely to move close to the injured player and medic.
Front row safety: The safety of the players, particularly in youth rugby, is paramount and overrides any other consideration. If the referee is not satisfied that a front row player is able to scrummage safely, they will insist that the coach brings on a replacement who can. The referee is the sole judge of this. If the coach cannot or will not replace the player, the referee will order uncontested scrums for the remainder of the game.
A coach may tell the referee that they need to remove a front row player because of injury and cannot provide a replacement so that uncontested scrums have to be ordered. The referee will always accept what the coach says about this. The other side (particularly if they have been dominant in the scrum) may complain about this – if they have an issue about uncontested scrums, they must take it up with the other coach or with the competition organisers.
Law changes for 2025/26:
A number of law changes have been introduced by World Rugby at all levels of the adult and youth game. The World Rugby summary and explanations are available at https://worldrugby.app.box.com/v/2025GLTsdeck.
Conversions: Time limit of 60 seconds from when the try is awarded.
Not straight lineout [Only applies to U16s and Colts].: If the defence compete at the lineout by lifting, then the ‘inside shoulder’ rule applies. If the defence don’t compete, then a ‘not straight throw’ is allowed. The limit of the permitted ‘not straight‘ throw is the catcher’s outside shoulder. A throw to the front player in the lineout or over the 15m line must be ‘straight’ whether the defence competes or not.
Protect the no 9: The non putting in scrum half at a scrum can’t go beyond the tunnel (but can retreat to their team’s back foot on either side of the scrum) until the ball is out. A player who is or was part of a ruck or maul can’t tackle the opposition no 9 until the latter has moved 1m away from the ruck.
Peter Brady and Keith Edgeworth
Club Referee Co-Ordinators
