Advantage Over podcast for rugby referees

RugbyReferee.net
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Celebrating everything great about rugby people, who referee! We'll bring you the latest news about rugby refereeing - appointments, law news, rugby news - as well as a closer look at all the aspects of being a rugby referee or match official

  1. 2d ago

    July 2026 laws and guidelines update

    Today, it's a solo episode with Keith talking through the law changes that came into force on 1 July 2026, following World Rugby's Council meeting in June. While there's a lot to cover, the bottom line is that there isn't much that changes for us as referees. Only two pretty-rare ingoal restarts change from 22DOs to TLDOs for consistency reasons - but as you'll hear, there's a lot of other bits and pieces to be aware of: Move of four older GLobal Law Trials into full lawIntroduction of a lower legal tackle height for the community game as law for all (choice for Unions of sternum or waist)Minor law wording tweaks for consistency, clarity or to remove confusion or conflicting clausesLaw application guideline covering the Maul World Rugby say this isn't about removing/changing laws - it's just a tidy up process and to make the laws easier for people to read and understand. Let us know what you think! Many of you will have had your own lists of 'law problems' - have these all been fixed now? Let us know if you have any others! Links: World Rugby 'What's new' article on the changesWorld Rugby presentation being circuilated to Unions for cascadingTackle height law wordingsJune 2026 Maul Law Application Guideline If you have any comments about this episode, or suggestions for future shows, then drop me a line at ref@rugbyreferee.net! You can follow us here: Instagram: RugbyRefereenet Facebook: Page: RugbyReferee.net Facebook Group: RugbyReferee.net Community Or you can connect with Keith personally on Twitter or LinkedIn

    July 2026 laws and guidelines update

  2. Jun 24

    Holly Wood talks about refereeing, bumps, babies and attracting elite players into picking up the whistle

    Today, we're joined by Holly Wood, Rugby World Cup 2025 match official and referee across the men's and women's leagues here in England. This weekend (28 June 2026), she will referee the PWR Final between Saracens Women and Trailfinders Women - just 10 weeks or so post-partum. In this episode, recorded just days before baby #2 joined the world, we chat about her elite performance background, her route into refereeing, her first pregnancy journey and the legacy from that process for other female referees around the country. We also chat about an initiative she has spearheaded attracting new referees from the elite female playing community. Resources mentioned: RFU Match Official Maternity guidanceHigh Performance Referee Scholarship with PWR If you have any comments about this episode, or suggestions for future shows, then drop me a line at ref@rugbyreferee.net! You can follow us here: Twitter: RugbyRefereenet Instagram: RugbyRefereenet Facebook: Page: RugbyReferee.net Facebook Group: RugbyReferee.net Community Or you can connect with Keith personally on Twitter or LinkedIn

    Holly Wood talks about refereeing, bumps, babies and attracting elite players into picking up the whistle

  3. May 22

    Southland Rugby's Referee scholarships and wellbeing initiatives

    Andrew Rowland, previously chair of Rugby Southland Referees joins me to talk about two initiatives they are running in the furthest south peninsula of New Zealand. Firstly their Referees of the Future Scholarship initiative - a new way of attracting young (and not so young....) people into refereeing. We look at what's behind it, what's the 'offer' and how it's going so far. There's some more info here on their 2026 scholarship awardees. And then Andrew and I talked about their Chaplaincy offer for their match officials in the province. We talk about what it is, what it's not, and how it's helped him and his fellow referees. If the word chaplaincy sends you down a certain thought route (as it did for me), then worth listening to what it actually is. For more about refereeing in Southland, head here. If you have any comments about this episode, or suggestions for future shows, then drop me a line at ref@rugbyreferee.net! You can follow us here: Twitter: RugbyRefereenet Instagram: RugbyRefereenet Facebook: Page: RugbyReferee.net Facebook Group: RugbyReferee.net Community Or you can connect with Keith personally on Twitter or LinkedIn

    Southland Rugby's Referee scholarships and wellbeing initiatives

  4. Feb 11

    Hollie Davidson - smashing ceilings in rugby refereeing

    Today, we're joined by Hollie Davidson in a different type of interview - different because the questions weren't asked by Keith. This is the audio of a longer interview conducted by Laura-Jane Jones for TNT Sport in November last year, but made available with other media outlets. It's full of gold! If you missed the last episode with Tarsh Ganley, then you can listen here Areas covered in today's episode: Off-field Hollie -How having non-rugby hobbies is so importantThe switch from women's to men'sBeing the only female in men's campKnowing what a red card feels like - and learning from those feelingsHer team around her - growing together and those who went beforeHer lead up to the Wales v NZ in NovemberThe benefit of being a female in the men's spaceReferees being in the room around rugby conversations at World Rugby levelPlayer turned refereeTrolls and how it feels to be a ref under the microscopeHer future - after refereeing, but also the near future with RWC 2027 on the horizon If you have any comments about this episode, or suggestions for future shows, then drop me a line at ref@rugbyreferee.net! You can follow us here: Twitter: RugbyRefereenet Instagram: RugbyRefereenet Facebook: Page: RugbyReferee.net Facebook Group: RugbyReferee.net Community Or you can connect with Keith personally on Twitter or LinkedIn

    Hollie Davidson - smashing ceilings in rugby refereeing

  5. 12/04/2025

    Tarsh Ganley : A Rugby World Cup journey and beyond..

    Today, I'm joined by Natarsha Ganley from New Zealand to chat about her rise from newbie to Rugby World Cup referee. We chat about her starting story, her new day job, her referee career to date, overcoming injury at a crucial point in the selection cycle, and her RWC experiences. We also chat about what's next, including how she's heading north for three months in 2026 to gain refereeing experience in England's PWR league. If you have any comments about this episode, or suggestions for future shows, then drop me a line at ref@rugbyreferee.net! You can follow us here: Instagram: RugbyRefereenet Facebook: Page: RugbyReferee.net Facebook Group: RugbyReferee.net Community Or you can connect with Keith personally on Twitter or LinkedIn

    Tarsh Ganley : A Rugby World Cup journey and beyond..

  6. 10/24/2025

    The Bald Ref - standing up for referees, and for mental health

    Today, we're joined by Jonny Cartwright, who you may know as The_Bald_Ref on Instagram. He's just been recognised as Loosehead Of the Year 2025 at the Looseheadz Community Awards. We talk about: Jonny's journey from coach to refereeHow he develops referees in his role as T&D lead in Manchester & District Referees (MADRefs)How Looseheadz is and how he got into supporting them (trigger warning)#WaffleWednesdayHis officiating at the World Record rugby matches in Ireland earlier in 2025How he got into trouble for calling out clubs on Instagram when they fail to respect refereesThe effect that has on referee resilience and mental health of match officials Resources & Links: Jonny on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the_bald_ref/ LooseHeadz: https://looseheadz.co.uk/ LH help and support: https://looseheadz.co.uk/help-and-support/ Previous episodes covering mental health and resilience subjects in rugby and refereeing - Nick Marshall and Tim Wyatt If you have any comments about this episode, or suggestions for future shows, then drop me a line at ref@rugbyreferee.net! You can follow us here: Instagram: RugbyRefereenet Facebook: Page: RugbyReferee.net Facebook Group: RugbyReferee.net Community Or you can connect with Keith personally on Twitter or LinkedIn

    The Bald Ref - standing up for referees, and for mental health

  7. 10/10/2025

    The pod returns

    Hi, it's Keith here and after numerous prods from you, dear listeners, it was time to get the recording device out once again. Bit of a catch up on a few things in today's episode: Women's RWC match officiatingRefereeing a foul play scenario after a try Charging down a Try Line Drop outRefereeing the new open play pod liftA tricky situation for me with a piece of player equipment Relevant links: RugbyReferee.net Open play pod lift article World Rugby approved devices list Rezon Halos - may well be a great product but not approved for use in matches yet - see their FAQ page If you have any comments about this episode, or suggestions for future shows, then drop me a line at ref@rugbyreferee.net! You can follow us here: Instagram: RugbyRefereenet Facebook: Page: RugbyReferee.net Facebook Group: RugbyReferee.net Community Or you can connect with Keith personally on Twitter or LinkedIn

    The pod returns

  8. 11/21/2024

    Global Law Trials for 2025

    In this episode, Keith talks through the announcement from World Rugby following the Council meeting on 14 November which agreed to the introduction of four Global Law Trials for new competitions/leagues after 1 January 2025. References to "previous episodes" relate to Episode 40: Ep 40 - What is going on with laws and law changes at World Rugby? We talk about: Quicker conversionsA new set time to form a lineout (in line with 30 seconds at the scrum)Cleaner play away from the ruck/maul/scrumNot straight at uncontested lineout = play on The following were not approved for progression One stop maulMark from a kick off/restart20 minute red card replacement - decision deferred to 2025 Plus two new approved TMO protocols. For full law wordings, and download links to TMO protocols you can visit: https://passport.world.rugby/laws-of-the-game/laws-news/global-law-trials-1-january-2025/ If you have any comments about this episode, or suggestions for future shows, then drop me a line at ref@rugbyreferee.net! You can follow us here: Twitter: RugbyRefereenet Instagram: RugbyRefereenet Facebook: Page: RugbyReferee.net Facebook Group: RugbyReferee.net Community Or you can connect with Keith personally on Twitter or LinkedIn

    Global Law Trials for 2025
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Celebrating everything great about rugby people, who referee! We'll bring you the latest news about rugby refereeing - appointments, law news, rugby news - as well as a closer look at all the aspects of being a rugby referee or match official

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