Mene hangs up whistle
After a long and great refereeing career, Didier Mene is about to end his career as an active referee and to take up an important position in refereeing.
Mene regards himself as too young to stop at 45 and he is enjoying refereeing too much to want to stop but the new president of the French Rugby Federation, Pierre Camou, asked him to take over as France’s refereeing boss from René Hourquet who was giving up. René and Didier will work together for a while and then Didier will “fly solo”.
We spoke to Mene, who speaks excellent English. He speaks French and English but says: “When I speak French or English, everybody can notice that I am a real Catalan Didier.”
Born on 30 March 1964 in Prades, a town of 7 000 amidst peach orchards in the foothills of the Pyrenees, not far from Perpignan, a part of ancient Catalonia. That part of France is rugby world but young Didier did not play. “My father played basketball and I did the same in my young years; but I am native from a ‘rugby area’ where all my friends were playing rugby; so I felt a sort of frustration, not doing the same then as they were doing.”
After school, Mene went to study chemical engineering in Toulouse and he started refereeing. “I began when I was studying in the engineers school in Toulouse. My school friends needed refs to be able to participate in the students championship. Some students were refereeing before I started, but everybody agreed that they were very poor, and so they asked me to try to do better! Some Federation refs were assessing the games and they asked me to join the Federation. I did it only one year later, because I enjoyed my first year of refereeing with students.”
He started in 1985 and joined the Federation in 1986.
His career? “I reached the different French panels, reached the top French panel in 1992 and the international panel in 1994. There were four French referees on the international panel at the time – Patrick Robin, Joël Dumé, Patrick Thomas and myself. I reffed my first test in June 1994 (Argentina vs United States in a World Cup qualifier) and my first big test in November 1994 (Wales vs South Africa). I reffed 12 tests the last one in 2001.”
First Test at 30, last at 37 – a young start and a young finish.
“I was the youngest French ref ever to ref an international, and also the first French ref to send off during an international game (John Davies, Wales vs England in Cardiff in 1995).
“After this beginning to my international career, I must tell that I felt very frustrated when I was dropped out of the IRB panel when I was only 38. I think that ‘they’ sent me off at a time when I began to be very experienced and mature, a decision that was very surprising and disappointing.
“After this disappointment, I stayed and concentrated on the French championship to show ‘these people’ that they were wrong, and doing two more finals after my international period is an answer – my answer.”
The Finals of the French Championship were indeed highlights. Speaking of the highlights in his career, Mene says: “The length of my French career (17 years on the top panel) and the three French championship finals (2000, 2002 and 2006) because it’s very rare. Only three French refs have reffed three finals in our rugby history – one in the 30s, Abel Martin, and one in the 60’s, Charles Durand. Martin refereed four Finals. Durand was for years the boss of French referees.
“For international games, my best memory is the 1996 South Africa vs New Zealand in Pretoria – a fantastic game. During that game, I felt that it was ‘the game of my life’. I can tell now that I was right.”
Help along the way? “Many unknown people and refs and mainly René Hourquet.”
Full-time referee? “Never. During my international time, it wasn’t possible for French refs to be full-time refs, but I wouldn’t have been interested because I can not imagine a life without a ‘real’ job and because I didn’t do long and difficult studies to finish as a ref. Refereeing for me is a hobby for weekends. I am member of the old school!”
The real job? “I am still a chemical engineer? Now I am member of the board of management of a petrochemicals plant (500 employees), responsible for the HSEQIM department (health safety environment quality inspection metrology), but I understand now that it’s really a necessity to be a full-time ref for international refs, because they need time for travelling, improving fitness, preparing games, etc…..and I’ll help French refs in the future to get these positions.”
What did you like about refereeing? “First, refereeing was a way for me to know myself better, to control my feelings in all circumstances, and it was very useful for my life and also for my other career. I began refereeing like a ‘chien fou’ (crazy dog) and I am finishing like a ‘vieux sage’ (wise old man). Refereeing gave me also a lot of confidence for the difficulties you meet in the life. The understanding of the characters you have in front of you is very important too, and useful to transform you into a sort of psychologist. Refereeing was also a way to meet people everywhere, and meet my best friends. Every ref is interested egoistically in his career but I could meet different friends (few but so good).”
How has refereeing changed? “The game has changed, but generally speaking, for me refereeing has not changed. I has always the same feeling and pleasure but refereeing now needs to be more precise than in the past, and the communication issue is also much more important.”
Going to miss it? “I’ll miss refereeing a lot. My last game will be on the 21 February – Toulouse vs Clermont, and it will be a very difficult moment for me. I am retiring at only 45, but maybe it’s the moment to do it. In French, we say ‘c’est mon destin’. other words, René’s retirement is a sign that says to me It’s time!”
Full-time job? “No. Like the other unions, the French Federation has a referees’ development officer – Joël Dumé. That is a full-time position, but the ‘boss’ of the French refs committee is not a full-time job. I’ll do it at the same time as I continue with my (busy) job. So I expect busy times to do both.”
Hoping to achieve? “I think that the French refs have a problem of ‘recognition’ at international level, and I want to work to change this situation, because too many French refs suffered because of that.”
A bachelor, Mene now lives in Carry le Rouet, a posh seaside resort near Marseilles in Provence – like Catalonia also not quite French France!
