Former Test referees help
Queensland’s former Test referees, Andrew Cole and Scott Young, are to help with the development of promising referees under a new advanced referee development program in Queensland. They join many former Test referees around the world who help with the development of younger referees.
The establishment of the Queensland Premier Rugby Development Squad is a joint initiative of the Queensland Rugby Union, the State Referees Committee (SRC) and Queensland Rugby Referees’ Association (Brisbane). It is the first elite development programme in Australia outside of the one run by the Australian Rugby Union.
Ian Scotney, chairman of the SRC, said Cole and Young, along with fellow former senior referee Greg Hinton, act as mentors to the younger referees, passing on their knowledge in specialist referee coaching sessions.
He said Queensland already had six of the eight referees in the Australian development squad – Paul Haydock, Paul Toomey, Paul Heagney, Simon Moore, Craig Hills and Steve Leszczynski. The Premier Development Squad included them, as well as other promising referees such as Australia’s number two female referee Michelle Colgrave, who is hoping to gain her first Premier appointment this year.
Scotney said: “By provide advanced training of referees for Premier Rugby and potentially for Super 14 and IRB level matches we’re giving our most talented referees a clear pathway to achieve their ambitions.”
Former Test referees around the world do much for the development of promising young referees. There are those in managerial positions such as New Zealander Paddy O’Brien (International Rugby Board), Owen Doyle (Ireland), Peter Marshall (Australia), Ed Morrison (England), Andre Watson (South Africa) who succeeded Free Burger, Keith Lawrence (New Zealand) who followed Graeme Harrison who did so much for establishing development programmes for referees, Rene Hourquet (France), Robert Yemen (Wales) who succeeded Clive Norling who succeeded Ken Rowland – all of them Test referees.
There are other former Test referees in various parts of the world who continue to contribute to the development of the younger generation – Wayne Erickson, Sandy MacNeill, Dick Byres and Brian Kinsey in Australia, Tappe Henning, Freek Burger, Gerrit Coetzer, Frans Muller, Eugene Daniels, Johann Meuwesen, Shaun Veldsman and Arrie Schoonwinkel in South Africa, Colin Hawke, Bob Francis and Tom Doocey in New Zealand, Francis Palmade, Joel Dume and Patrick Robin in France, Efrim Sklar in Argentina, Derek Bevan and Clayton Thomas of Wales, Colin High, Brian Campsall, Tony Trigg and Roger Quittenton in England, Dave McHugh, Steve Hilditch, Bertie Smith and Brian Stirling in Ireland, and Jim Fleming and Ed Murray in Scotland. There are others.
