Match Officials Gathered Ahead of 2020 Season
Published on January 23, 2020 under Major League Rugby (MLR) News Release
Major League Rugby (MLR) match officials gathered in Houston from January 17 to 19 in preparation for the third season. The group was led by the Match Official Manager, Richard Every, Technical Manager, Steve Lander and Director, Jeremy Turner. They set out to build upon the first two seasons, and establish an approach on application to provide teams a more consistent product. The group is further supported by long-time World Rugby Strength & Conditioning coach, Phil Dunne, Assistant Referee Manager, Marc Nelson and Riaan van Greuning as Assignments & Finance Manager.
Officials originally from nine countries will feature in the MLR, including New Zealander, Jamie Nutbrown, who refereed in Super Rugby and two Junior World Cups. "He is a great addition to the core referees, lending his experience, knowledge and support, as referee and former first-class player," said Turner. The referee team also includes two-time final referee, Scott Green, Derek Summers, Luke Rogan, Chris Assmus, Moe Chaudhry, Lex Weiner, Mike O'Brien and Henrique Platais. They were joined by assistant referees, referee coaches, disciplinary and new to 2020, performance reviewers.
Friday kicked off with a fitness session led by Phil Dunne as it is a core element and referees are expected to maintain an expected level throughout the season. It was followed by team building and the afternoon sessions focused on strategic and contextual refereeing, and rounded off with reviewing. Saturday saw some teams represented as the technical focus areas were discussed that included the breakdown, space, scrum, lineout/maul and foul play, plus a presentation covering key elements that have been identified as areas of inconsistency across the game internationally. Another addition this season is that team coaches will have full access to referee video reports through the online Advantage™ Software, adding clips to review in weekly team coach/referee management meetings, plus all match official meetings will be recorded and the videos provided to teams. Match Official Manager, Richard Every, added, "As we build Major League Rugby in North America, it is important that we do it as a group, teams and officials, to provide the best possible product, and we believe that this new level of transparency and accountability will facilitate a solid foundation as we work toward those goals."
The third season kicks off on February 8, 2020, with Nutbrown in the middle for a repeat of last season's final between Seattle Seawolves and San Diego Legion.
Match Official Team 2020
Referees:
Jamie Nutbrown (New Zealand)
Scott Green
Derek Summers
Luke Rogan (Australia)
Chris Assmus (Canada)
Moe Chaudhry (Canada)
Lex Weiner
Mike O'Brien
Henrique Platais (Brazil)
Referee Coaches:
Andrew McMaster (Canada)
Sean McDonaugh (Canada)
Rob Debney (England)
Reviewers:
Peter Watson
Mike Kelly
Amanda Cox
Josh Houston
Olivia Rogers
Lee Johnson
David Haines
Jeremy McDowall
Wendy Young
Assistant Referees:
Amelia Luciano
Robin Kaluzniak (Canada)
Kat Roche
Paul-Henri Courbier (France)
Steve Gore
Kahlil Harrison
Marquise Goodwin
Joey Swatzell
Cisco Lopez
Austin Reed
Nick Tricarico
Stuart Geiger
Christopher Micheletti (Canada)
Michael Jones (Canada)
Joe Burpoe
Rick Goldammer
Mike Lawrenson
Allen Alongi
Butch Neuenschwander
Greg Varnell
Kage Green
Denny Russell
Pearce Mara
Dave Edwards
TMO:
Davey Ardrey
Citing Commissioners:
David Pelton
Dana Teagarden
Jason Wallach
Bruce Kuklinski
Tim Ricketts
Judicial Officers:
Alan Hudson
Gary Heavner
Matt Eason
Jim Russell
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