Elite Referees vow to become the seventh team in Super6

14 Aug 2019

Scotland’s top referees spent an intensive 48 hours in Loch Lomond last weekend, ahead of the start of the new Super6 competition, which will become the new top-tier of Scottish domestic rugby and commences in November.

The premise of the weekend at Ardoch was for the on-and-off field officials to familiarise themselves with the various aspects of the Super6 matches and look at how the referees could influence the game to increase the speed and maximise the amount of time the ball is in play.

Following the weekend Dave Pearson, High Performance Referee Manager at Scottish Rugby, said “We used the concept that the match officials are the “seventh team” in the Super6 tournament to help them understand their role in producing the exciting brand of rugby expected.

The referee’s line up for a team photo (SNS/Scottish Rugby)

“The weekend started with the group fitness testing at Loch Lomond Rugby Club where the club went out of their way to ensure the refs were well looked after, I’d like to give a special thanks to Iain Norrie and his team for their hospitality.”

There were also a number of classroom technical sessions. These were led by the Scottish Rugby’s contracted referees, Mike Adamson, Sam Grove-White, Hollie Davidson and the Scottish Rugby High Performance Referee Management team of Tappe Henning, Andrew Macpherson and Dave Pearson.

Super6 On-Field Development Lead, Sean Lineen added, “It was a really good weekend and a chance for me to sit in on a few of their meetings and talk a little bit about what technical support we can offer our referees throughout the Super6 season and how it aligns with some key elements of our Scottish Technical Blueprint.

“The team are really excited to be part of the competition and we’re delighted to have them on board and can’t wait to get started.”

Super6 kicks off over the weekend of 8-10 November 2019 and features six teams, Ayrshire Bulls, Boroughmuir Bears, Heriot’s Rugby, Southern Knights, Stirling County and Watsonians.

It was also confirmed this week that Super6 will be carried by BBC Scotland, as well as Scottish Rugby TV.