Paddy O'Brien to retire

Big new refereeing job

Paddy O'Brien, one of the top referees in the history of rugby football, is set to retire from active refereeing to take up an important role in the coaching of referees.

O'Brien has refereed more Tests than any other New Zealand referee and has ended his international career at Twickenham when he became the first referee to handle a North-South match. This was the match in aid of victims of the tsunami disaster.

In August O'Brien will be come the High Performance Referee Coach with the New Zealand Rugby Union, and the family – Paddy, wife Caroline and children Danielle and Hamish – will make the big move from Invercargill at the end of South Island, where Paddy was born and has lived, to Wellington, New Zealand's capital city on North Island.

After a playing career of seven seasons on the wing for the Marist club in Invercargill, Paddy O'Brien started refereeing in 1982. The South Island has had top referees in Tom Doocey, Dave Bishop, Lindsay McLachlin and Colin Hawke in Paddy's time. A remarkably athletic referee – he won a gold medal at the Police Olympicsand a bronze in the decathlon in 1982 and a silver for the high jump in 1984 – he refereed his first provincial match in 1988 – Southland against Otago at Rugby Park in Invercargill. In 1992 he refereed his first match involving a touring team, England B against New Zealand Universities at the old Athletic Park ground in Wellington, and the next year he refereed the match between the touring Lions and Hawke's Bay, and the year after that the match between the Springboks and Wellington.. In 1994 he refereed his first Test – Korea against Hong Kong in Kuala Lumpur, a World Cup qualifying match. He refereed a second match at the tournament – Korea against Japan..

The Korean captain kicked a Japanese opponent and Paddy sent him off. Getting him off was difficult because in the kick the Korean had broken his leg in two places!

In 1995 Detective O'Brien left the police force and in 1997 he became one of New Zealand's first professional referees. The other was Colin Hawke, the traffic policeman from Timaru just further up South Island.

Paddy was at the World Cup finals in 1999 and 2003, on both occasions a touch judge in the final, each time with his chum André Watson of South Africa as the referee.

Paddy will see out his Super 12 commitments and is available to referee on the Lions' tour of New Zealand.

Speaking about his decision, Paddy said: "I always wanted to leave the game on my terms and near the top of the tree. Having achieved my goal of refereeing to the best of my ability at a Rugby World Cup and having been professional for nine years now, the desire to keep tripping around the world was starting to wane,

“With my family now at an age where they are themselves involved in a lot of sports and other activities I just knew my timing to retire was correct.

“Rugby has been fantastic to me and owes me nothing so I wanted to leave with absolutely no regrets and that is exactly what I am doing,
 
“I am really looking forward to the challenge of the High performance Refereeing coach position and I hope I can assist the elite New Zealand referees get the enjoyment and sense of satisfaction out of Rugby that I have had.”

O'Brien holds a number of New Zealand records including his officiating of 218 first class games (the most by a New Zealand referee), and 37 Tests (the most by a New Zealand referee). He has also whistled more than 50 Super 12 games including the 1998 and 2001 Finals.

In the Test arena, he has the distinction of having handled the third test decider between the British and Irish Lions and the Wallabies in 2001 and the Rugby World Cup 2003 Semi Final between France and England.  

From August, O'Brien will be responsible for coaching and developing New Zealand’s professional referees, as part of the NZRU’s High Performance Plan. In this role, he will work closely with the NZRFU’s referees' boss, Keith Lawrence, himself a former Test referee.

“Thanks to the performances of our top referees including Paddy, New Zealand is regarded as having some of the world’s best referees,” said Lawrence.

“Our challenge is to maintain and enhance that reputation, and having someone with Paddy’s skills and experience lead this development is a major step forward for our high performance referee program,” said Lawrence.

Speaking about Paddy, André Watson said: "In world rugby, Paddy is a huge man. He is also my big friend. We are not just colleagues, but friends.

"I wish him well in his new venture and know that he will do a good job.

"I am looking forward to a great working relationship with him as we go on to new fields in the refereeing world."

Chris White, England's top referee, said: "Paddy will be remembered as one of the first professional referees.

"when young refs ask me for advice I tell them to get hold of a tape of Paddy O’Brien and learn from his excellent communication and management skills.

"I have been lucky enough to work with Paddy in some big games and his preparation and delivery have always been first class.His contribution to the art of reffing will now continue."

Peter Marshall, the famous Australian Test referee who retired recently and is now in charge of Austrralia's referees, said: "A great referee and a great mate. Paddy will be missed on the field, at the elite end of rugby, not just for his ability to referee but also his fast wit that often came out on the field. Paddy enjoyed his refereeing and it showed, with him very rarely getting through a game without a large smile on his face at some stage throughout the 80 minutes.

"Paddy will be remembered for his ability to control the toughest of games in the world and do it easily. He had the ability to referee matches and hardly be noticed by the spectators (and that is not easy with Paddy's bald head). He was very respected by National Coaches, players and referees throughout the world.

"I always enjoyed being involved in matches that Paddy controlled as I new I would come away from the match having learnt something new about refereeing. Paddy was very much a team player and a leader when the International Referees were at a conference or at RWC.

"Paddy has had a wonderful career and deserves all the accolades I sure he will receive on his retirement."

Patric Denis O'Brien was born in Invercargill on 19 July 1959. He is obviously young and fit enough to go but he is retiring "on my own terms". Last year his biography/.autobiography by Bob Howitt was published – Paddy O'Brien Whistle While You Work. It is already in its fourth reprint.