URC head of match officials Tappe Henning has encouraged coaches to make use of the opportunity to speak directly to match officials before games. MORNÉ ESBEN reports.
The competition, going into its sixth season, continues to allow coaches to arrange a call with the referee ahead of a match. This is in contrast to World Rugby’s regulations that only make such a meeting possible if the coaches of both teams agree to meet with the referee simultaneously.
“It’s a little bit different from what has been allowed in the international arena,” Henning told the media on Thursday.
“We believe that it’s beneficial to our clubs, to our coaches and our match officials to have those conversations, because we have a strong development element.”
Coaches can request either a phone or Teams call with the match official, provided the meeting is completed at least 48 hours before kick-off.
The request must be made through Henning’s desk so the URC is aware of the meeting and can address any issues that may emerge before the match.
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According to Henning, the system has worked well in previous seasons and remains an important part of the URC’s approach to officiating.
Henning highlighted the contrasting levels of experience within the URC’s match-official panel as another reason for encouraging greater engagement between coaches and referees.
The panel includes experienced officials such as Ben Whitehouse, who has 118 URC matches under his belt, as well as newcomers who are still gaining experience at this level.
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“We’ve got a big variety of experience in our panel of match officials, and that is why we believe that coaches and that engagement with coaches to have a better understanding is essential for our competition, and for us to progress in our competition,” he said.
The URC will again have 25 on-field match officials and 28 TMOs for the new season, while the competition’s use of the TMO as a foul-play review officer and the 20-minute red-card trial will also continue.
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
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URC head of match officials Tappe Henning has encouraged coaches to make use of the opportunity to speak directly to match officials before games.
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