England’s Chris White, currently one of the world’s top refs, will open the conference with a keynote speech on the refereeing of the tackle area, taking in the ruck and maul, and give a personal account of the mental and physical demands of the game at the highest level.
Ospreys assistant coach Sean Holley will give a coach’s viewpoint on refereeing and former Wales captain Jonathan Humphries will give the refs a practical insight into the mechanics of the scrum, another contentious area of refereeing, aided by Wales and Lions back row Ryan Jones who will give those present his view on refereeing from a player’s perspective.
Fitness and injury prevention are an important part of a referee’s life and WRU National Fitness Director, Huw Wiltshire will put a group of refs including WRU full-timers Nigel Owens and Hugh Watkins through their paces in a fitness demonstration and there will also be input from RFU Elite Referee Medical Officer, consultant Mr Mike Lambert.
WRU Manager of Match Officials Rob Yeman said, “The aim of this event is to develop a more consistent approach to refereeing at all levels of the game in Wales. To do this, it is important that our refs understand how they are viewed in their role by others, which is why we have adopted an inclusive approach and asked key coaches, players and officials to take part in the day.
“I am sure that everyone present will benefit from the knowledge and experience of all the contributors to the programme.”
