Producing quality referees for the world
The morning started off bright and early for Aaron and I getting up at 5:30am to make sure we had enough time to prepare for the long day ahead. We managed to get to the venue at around 8am to have a look around where all the pitches were and also to see the main pitch and all its glory. It’s hard to believe that the only thing that was holding up most of the stands is scaffolding.
Tuesday 1st December 2015. After an early start we headed into the heart of Dubai to get a feel for the city and experience a few of the many amazing features that were on display. We visited the Jumeirah Beach Residence area with fellow referees from USA, Canada and Ireland…
Aaron, Jamie, and Bernie headed off to Dubai on Sunday to referee in the Dubai 7s Festival.
This was a hugely valuable experience for me in helping to develop my refereeing. While the social side and the treats on the side were really cool and a huge part of it the experienced I gained from refereeing was the main part of the trip. The language barrier was a huge challenge and was something I had to adapt. This combined with having to quickly learn a new style of rugby was something that I think will only improve my refereeing.
