chickenfeet

Yesterday I was in Lindsay to referee the second team game between the Nomads and Lindsay.  It was a peculiar day on a number of levels.  For starters it was the first time in weeks that I've done a game in less than tropical weather. Yesterday was cool and windy with intermittent light rain.  It felt good.  On the not so good side one of Lindsay's first team players had been killed in a cliff diving accident earlier in the week so things were pretty sombre with a couple of little commemoration ceremonies and a lot more people there than usual for a second team game.  It was also odd to be reffing a Nomads team that contained both people I played with and people I coached at U16 level.  For the record, the game was actually pretty good with no more nonsense than one would expect at that level.

So after a pleasant three years in which the Laws of Rugby Union remained unchanged I've just received an email from the IRB containing twelve new variations to be trialled. Confusion will begin at various times around the world as they are not be implemented until the start of net season so likely May 2013 for us though it wouldn't surprise me if we got them for the 2012 college/university campaign.

I survived the opening weekend of the club season despite getting rather badly lost trying to find North Halton's ground.

It was a pretty good game. The Buccaneers edged North Halton 17-14. Physically I was fine though, once again, the increase in physicality from high school to even a 'B' division game like this one was striking. I think I did OK. I am finding it harder each year to be exactly where I want to be as quickly as i want to be there but I coped. I'm also getting increasingly irritated with the amount of talking in adult games. Some people just don't shut up. That said, there were players on both sides doing stuff to make my job easier which I do appreciate.

Next weekend is a holiday with no fixtures so it's back to high school games for a couple of weeks.

The last two days I have been refereeing in Whitby, about 50 minutes by train east of here. This means being out just before 0700 to catch the 0728 to Whitby and be at the school ready for 0900 kick offs.

Yesterday, which was cool and wet, we had three refs for 29 20 minute tournament games (Grade 9 and 10 boys) played on two fields with the first games going at 0900 and the last KO at 1600. I did 9 games and finally got home around 1830 very tired indeed.

Today wasn't quite so intense we had four refs for 16 games though this time it was senior boys so more physically challenging. I did my four games (two sets of two) and was home by 1530. It was even colder today but at least it was dry and the sun put in an occasional appearance.

I enjoyed myself, I made some useful cash but I'm really tired!

Yesterday was truly a day of contrasts. Early in the day I was kindly offered tickets for the dress rehearsal of the COC's upcoming show. I figured I had time to get through my afternoon refereeing gig, get home, get cleaned up and fed and out for a show at 7.30. It turned out to be a close run thing.

I was scheduled to referee a junior boys game at 2pm and and a girls game at 3.10 pm. The weather was foul; cold, wet and windy with a touch of snow. The first delay was related to the pitch. It was only marked for soccer and one sideline was hard up against an asphalt running track. There were also metal sprinkler heads in the playing area. We decided to mark off a line 5m in with cones but that took a little bit of time. I got through the boys game OK to find that both girls teams had essentially identical kit. This resulted in another thirty minute delay while someone found T shirts for one team to put on over their jerseys. Both teams were very inexperienced and conditions were bad. The rugby, if such it could be called, was appalling. Still, I did my best to help them get a game out of it and the coaches were appreciative of my efforts. By the time we were done it was pushing five o'clock and I had the best part of an hour TTC journey to get home. I was cold and wet. Fortunately the TTC co-operated and I managed to avoid hypothermia.

I got in to find there was a problem with my tickets but my kind friend was trying to arrange replacements. By 6.45 I was clean, fed (sort of) and looking respectable enough but there was still no confirmation on the tickets. I headed out anyway trusting to luck. The story continues...

The rugby season is well started. Last week I refereed two pre-season high school tournament; one at St. Mike's and one at Weston CI. Quite a contrast; fee paying Catholic school with immaculate artificial turf field vs. public high school in relatively low income neighbourhood with dusty unmarked field. It all went quite well considering.

This week marks the start of the season proper. Today I've got two early afternoon games on the artificial pitch at Birchmount stadium. City champions Northern SS vs. Humberside CI; seniors followed by juniors. Thursday I'm back at Birchmount for a senior game; city runners up Malvern CI again vs. Humberside CI. Then I close my week out at Don Mills CI for senior and junior games against Weston CI.

In between I get to fit Tales of Hoffman at the COC on Wednesday night.

Rather unexpectedly I got a call last night to ref a couple of UoT intramural games today. First up was St. Michael's vs. Trinity. It was a decent game despite being played on the mudflat that is the Back Campus. I think I had a good game. It was a fair result, nobody was complaining and I think my positioning was better than it often is. It was cold and windy though.

I was also supposed to ref Victoria vs Skule 'B' (engineers, what can I say!) but Vic didn't show so I got home an hour earlier than expected.

In other refereeing news, congratulations to Alain Rolland for getting the Warburton call exactly right. The critics clearly haven't read the IRB directives on sanctioning dangerous tackles.

It's a cold wet day in Toronto. I was up at the University of Toronto this afternoon reffing an intra-mural game. There were supposed to be three, short (2 x 25 min) games at 1130, 1230 and 1330. I was scheduled to do the the second half of the second game and the third game. I biked up to UoT and showed up at around 1220 to find that everything was behind schedule and the second game probably wasn't going to happen anyway. By this point the persistent drizzle of the morning had turned into steady, cold rain. I finally got the third game underway on time as the second game had, indeed, been cancelled. Also by now the field was a swamp and I was near hypothermic. My fifty minute game, shortened to forty-five because it was so one-sided, finished at 90-0. By then, at least, the rain had stopped but my warm gear was soaked and I was almost as muddy as the players. I biked home in the cold wind but at least it wasn't raining. Am now demuddifying everything including my whistle. Putting a muddy whistle in one's mouth is really vile.

Rugby Ontario has organised three days of high school sevens this week at Fletchers. Yesterday was girls; senior and junior. There were teams from as far afield as Owens Sound and Chatham and a good mix of public, catholic and private schools. (Since sports are normally organised by school boards in Ontario the norm is sporting apartheid). The standard wasn't especially high. Many of the girls, especially the juniors (grades 9 and 10) were playing for the first time. Still, people seemed to be having fun. I reffed seven games (2 x 7 minute halves) which was a pretty decent workout. I've got today off but I'm back on Thursday for the senior boys which will likely be more physically challenging.

I refereed today for the first time since before Labour Day. I was down at Gage Field to do Beach III vs Crusaders III. It's a coolish sunny day and basically rather good for rugby. I had fun. The guys seemed to have fun; even the one who broke his ankle. The game was played in entirely the proper spirit and people said nice things about my performance. I feel a bit better about reffing again.

Elsewhere in more exalted rugby spheres Ireland have rather put the cat among the wombats by beating Australia. If the remaining group matches go to form New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and South Africa will all be in the same side of the draw meaning that a Six Nations side will be in the final.