New refs for New Zealand
20-man panel selected
New Zealand has announced a new panel of 20 referees to handle Air New Zealand Cup and Heartland Championship matches. Four of the two are new to the panel.
The New Zealand Provincial Championship has been split into two – the professional Air New Zealand Cup and the amateur Heartland Championship which is made up of the teams formerly in Division 2 and Division 3 of the NPC.
The new referees on the panel, who will, cut their teeth in the Heartland Championship, are Kane McBride (Canterbury), Shane McDermott (Southland), James McPhail (Canterbury) and Todd Pullar (Otago).
NZRU Manager of High Performance Refereeing, Keith Lawrence, said the pool of match officials available for the Air New Zealand Cup and Heartland Championship was a mix of experienced and up-and-coming referees.
“The four new referees have come through the ranks quickly and they now have the chance to take the next step up in the Heartland Championship. They are incredibly talented individuals and I am sure that they will give a good account of themselves."
McDermott and Pullar have had first-class playing experience – McDermott is a former Southland Stags and North Otago player while Pullar played for Wairarapa Bush.
In order to further enhance the standard of refereeing in the Air New Zealand Cup, the NZRU has contracted Jonathon White and Keith Brown full-time for the duration of the competition. White and Brown will join the NZRU’s seven full-time referees for the competition.
“Jonathon and Keith have been on an intensive training programme for the last month and will be well prepared for the exciting challenges and opportunities that the Air New Zealand Cup will provide,” Mr Lawrence said.
The New Zealand referees' panel is: Lyndon Bray (Wellington), Keith Brown (Southland), Kelvin Deaker (Hawke’s Bay), Paul Honiss (Waikato), Bryce Lawrence (Bay of Plenty), Kane McBride (Canterbury), Shane McDermott (Southland), James McPhail (Canterbury), Vinny Munro (Canterbury), Brent Murray (Wellington), Josh Noonan (Canterbury), Chris Pollock (Wellington), Todd Pullar (Otago), Chris Rooney (Manawatu), Ben Skeen (Auckland), Matthew Stanish (Auckland), Steve Walsh (North Harbour), Jonathon White (Auckland), Garratt Williamson (Wellington), Gary Wise (Hawke’s Bay).
