Coaching & Officiating E-News:April 2005
LATEST NEWS
Telstra SmartRugby compulsory for 2006
At its February 2005 meeting, the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) Board endorsed a recommendation that all coaches and referees must be Telstra SmartRugby compliant before the start of the 2006 season.
Telstra SmartRugby is the ARU's Occupational Health & Safety Seminar that covers all contact aspects of the tackle variants of the game. From 2006 onwards, coaches must train their players in the components of SmartRugby prior to competing in their first match for the season.
Some State Unions have already made SmartRugby compulsory for the 2005 season as part of their competition rules.
In making its decision, the ARU Board took into account research data collected from 1991 to 2001. Previously, each club or school had to have a SmartRugby Coordinator, but this new policy makes all coaches and referees cognisant of the safety requirements and laws pertaining to safe practice and foul play.
The 2.5-hour seminar covers balance and stability, scrum, scrum engagement and collapse, tracking, tackling and lineout, as well as foul play and the Code of Conduct.
SmartRugby compliance is current for two years, after which time all coaches and referees will have to update by attending another seminar.
All participants completing a SmartRugby seminar receive a MyRugbyCard, which includes their MyRugbyAdmin registration number and any coaching and/or refereeing accreditations and expiry dates.
For more information about Telstra SmartRugby including seminar details, visit your State Union website or the Australian Rugby Union website.
New MyRugbyCards on their way
The process of issuing the new MyRugbyCards has commenced and will continue over the coming months.
As previously advised, the new cards will include the Telstra SmartRugby qualification as well as current coaching and referee accreditations.
The large number of coaches and referees currently attending Telstra SmartRugby courses (more than 2,500 in Queensland alone) has made the process of matching this information with the ARU's MyRugbyAdmin database a significant task, hence the progressive issue of the new cards.
Please note, that where an accreditation expired at 31 December 2004 and has not been updated on the ARU database at the time the new card was produced, this accreditation will not appear on your new card.
If you receive a card with incorrect or incomplete information, please contact your State Coaching or Refereeing Manager.
New Foundation course being piloted in 2005
In the second half of 2004, the ARU in consultation with the State Unions, re-built the entry level (formally Level 1) for coaching and refereeing.
Having completed this major review, it was agreed that:
- Telstra SmartRugby would underpin all education and accreditation programs for coaching and officiating;
- a one day Foundation course that was a combined coaching and refereeing (certificate) course would be introduced; and
- coaches or referees who wished to gain accreditation would be 'assessed' against set criteria.
This initiative has been well received and a number of State Unions are piloting the Foundation course in 2005, with the intention of it being implemented Australia wide in 2006.
The ARU also organised for all State Coaching and Refereeing Managers to attend a Certificate IV in Workplace Assessment Course. Further, one-day Assessor Courses have been arranged so that each State Union will have trained personnel available to undertake the assessments for Coaching and Refereeing Level 1 accreditation.
The need to review our accreditation courses arose from less than 25 per cent of attendees at Level 1 Coaching Courses actually completing the work to gain the Level 1 accreditation.
The above process has been designed to be more user friendly and allow for easier entry and exit points. It also formalises the accreditation process more clearly.
Later this year, the ARU along with its State Union members, will begin to review the Level 2 courses.
Match Officials Re-accreditation
All match official accreditations (Referee, Referee Coach and Touch Judge) are valid for four years and expire on 31 December - four years after they are granted.
A substantial number of officials have accreditations that expired on 31 December last year (2004) and the State Unions' refereeing staff are currently undertaking a process to re-accredit those individuals who will continue to have an active involvement in the game for a further four years. This is also the case for those officials whose accreditations expire at the end of 2005.
If your accreditation expired at the end of 2004 or expires at the end of 2005, you should have received a letter outlining the process for re-accreditation. This process is being handled by State Referee staff, who will either re-accredit you or advise you of what is necessary for you to renew your accreditation.
Once accreditations have been renewed and the updated information included in the ARU database, a new MyRugbyCard will be sent to you.
If you have not heard from your State Referee Manager or Development Officer, please contact them using the details provided in this newsletter, to clarify the situation in regard to your accreditation.
Kim Lees wins 2005 Ausport Award
At the recent Australian Sports Commission (ASC) Conference in Sydney, the ARU's Referee Education Manager Kim Lees, received the Officials Development Award for his contribution and commitment to the ongoing development of Rugby officials.
This Award is a great recognition of Kim's outstanding commitment and contribution over many years to the development of Rugby officials around Australia, both in his current role with the ARU as well as his roles of Referee Development Officer in WA and the ACT.
2005 Game Management Guidelines now available
Each year the ARU issues Game Management Guidelines for the coaching, playing and refereeing of the game at community levels within Australia.
This year's guidelines are a mix of the:
outcomes of the IRB's Conference on the Game, held in Auckland in January 2004;
IRB's Referee Aide Memoir, which is a record of the outcomes of the IRB Referee and Assessor Workshops held in London in November 2004;
IRB Communication Protocols for match officials; and
agreed outcomes from the SANZAR Super 12 Workshop held in Terrigal, Australia in November/December 2004.
The outcomes of the above conferences and workshops have been adapted to reflect the playing, coaching and refereeing of the game at community levels in Australia.
The document aims to ensure all participants at the community level are aware of the areas of the game that require more specific coaching and/or consistent refereeing.
Click here for a pdf copy of the 2005 Game Management Guidelines.
Further information or clarification on the guidelines can be obtained by contacting Warren Robilliard or Kim Lees at the ARU or from State Coaching and Referee Managers.
COACHING NEWS
Coaching - the importance of core skill development
The Wallabies have always been regarded as a highly skilled team that plays to its strengths and exploits opposition weaknesses.
Previously, the cutting edge may have been that the Wallabies fitness levels were superior to their competitors, but over the last few years, opposition teams have equaled and in some cases surpassed the fitness levels of the Wallaby playing roster.
The number of registered players in England, France and South Africa are far greater than in Australia, so how do the Wallabies remain competitive on the international arena?
Click here to read the full article.
Substitutes and Replacements...not Interchange!
There is a commonly held belief that Substitution and Replacement are the same as Interchange. The Laws of Rugby forbid "Interchange".
To understand how this works, one has to be able to understand the Laws.
Click here to read the full article.
AUSTRALIAN RUGBY NEWS
Time's running out to nominate a Rugby volunteer
A reminder to all Rugby clubs, schools and associations that you have less than a month to get your applications in for the 2005 Telstra Volunteer Recognition Program.
If you know a volunteer in your club, school or association who has contributed to the development, promotion and growth of Rugby Union in your area, you're encouraged to nominate them for a chance to attend one of the Wallabies' 2005 Australian Test matches.
Nominations close on Friday 29 April 2005.
For more information about the program, or to download a 2005 Nomination Form, visit the Australian Rugby Union website.
2005 Telstra Australian Rugby Shield kicks off in May
The 2005 Telstra Australian Rugby Shield kicks off in May in regional and suburban areas around Australia. The tournament is designed to provide developing states and territories with a regular match program of a higher standard than would normally be possible in their individual states.
It aims to assist players, coaches, managers and referees in their professional development and potentially provide a pathway to full representative levels.
This year, six teams will compete in a five match round-robin tournament with the teams finishing first and second playing a final on 18 June 2005.
The six teams include: NSW Country Cockatoos, Queensland Country Heelers, Adelaide Black-Falcons, Perth Gold, Melbourne Axemen and Darwin Mosquitoes.
For more information on the 2005 Telstra Australian Rugby Shield including match details, visit the Australian Rugby Union website.
COACH & REFEREE PROFILES
Charlie Bamford, Coaching Manager, Victorian Rugby Union
Originally from Canberra, I moved to Melbourne in 1997 to coach Melbourne Uni 1st Grade. During that year, I was appointed by the ARU to the new position of Coaching Manager for the Victorian Rugby Union.
My background in Canberra was working in government for more than 25 years and my Rugby association was with St Edmunds College as a student and, later, as a parent/coach for both my sons. I played more than 180 1st Grade games and around 250 games in total for Eastern Suburbs (ACT) and also played in the ACT senior representative team on several occasions against France, Italy, Fiji, NSW and Queensland. My playing position was hooker.
I coached Eastern Suburbs 1st Grade from 1982-83 and 1990-92 and from 1984-89 was Coach of the ACT Under 21 and ACT B teams. In 1991, I was awarded ACT Coach of the Year for successful outcomes with Eastern Suburbs, as well as life membership of Eastern Suburbs.
In addition to coaching at senior level, I have also coached at junior club and representative level during the eighties and early nineties.
I have been with the VRU for seven years, during which time I have achieved Level 3 Coaching and Level 1 Refereeing accreditation. My role has evolved to not only cover coach education, but to also manage the VRU Club Competitions, special tournaments and representative fixtures - at all levels, both junior and senior.
My greatest honour in Rugby was being appointed as Rugby Services Manager, Melbourne for the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
In five years, I hope to be part of the birth of professional Rugby in Victoria, in an expanded or restructured provincial Super competition and would love to be involved in Rugby operations or community Rugby at a managerial level.
Anthony O'Shea, Referee Development Manager - Rugby WA
I was appointed to the role of Referee Manager at Rugby WA in June 2003, having worked in stock broking and finance for the previous 24 years in the UK and Australia.
I started playing Rugby at school in London at age 12 and continued to do so at university. After university, I played senior club Rugby in London, until in 1988, a severe shoulder injury prevented me playing for a whole season. As in most Rugby clubs around the world, the lower grade matches always struggled to get a referee appointed from the local association. So it came to pass that, with whistle in hand, I refereed a 7th grade match at my own club. This continued for the 1988-89 season in London and, although I'm not sure that I improved a great deal, I had some great experiences both on and off the paddock.
The 1989-90 season saw me back playing in first grade, but the shoulder was still not right and broke down again. I was advised not to continue playing, but was only 33 and looking forward to dropping down the grades and making a graceful exit with 7th grade at 43. This was not to be and so I joined the esteemed London Society of Referees. I managed to move up the grades reasonably quickly and, because my job allowed me, I was appointed to some really first class midweek games, which really assisted my own development.
The 1993-94 season saw me move to South Wales and I joined the "local" English Referee Society in Bristol. The Rugby in South West England was more forward dominated, which enabled me to view the Game more broadly and dispassionately. I was fortunate to secure some excellent appointments, both locally and elsewhere in the country, through England's well-established referee exchange program.
I moved out to Perth, Australia with my young family in January 1998 and promptly made myself known to the West Australian Referees Association and started blowing the whistle and have done since.
In April 2003, my current position with Rugby WA fell vacant and, though far from unhappy working in the financial world, it was a huge opportunity that would never come my way again. So I applied and was fortunate to be offered the post.
The post provides and will continue to provide an opportunity to shape the development of referees and officials in Western Australia and the challenges ahead, both for Super 14 and community Rugby are exciting as well as daunting. I look forward to these challenges in the future and will meet them with enthusiasm.
