Full-time for Bay's refereeing legend

LEGEND: Hawke's Bay former rugby referees boss Bruce Dockary says advances in technology should make for better TMO decisions. PHOTO FILE

Bay refereeing stalwart Bruce Dockary this week stepped aside after 15 years as chairman of the Hawke's Bay Rugby Referees Association. He chats to Mark Story.

Who's your most respected international referee?
Probably a little biased on this one given he resides in the Bay but I have always admired Chris Pollock because of his ability to interact in a positive manner with the players. Game management is one of the most important aspects of refereeing and Chris was able to bring this aspect to the highest level of the game and get the players to buy in.

In your years with the whistle, has sideline abuse got better or worse? If the latter, why, and how do you think it's best addressed?
I certainly don't think it has improved and it is always disappointing when a referee is abused, particularly as 99.9% of them volunteer their time freely and are doing the best they can. The bottom line is referees are human and will make mistakes, just as players do. Not sure there is any easy fix but a big step forward would be for spectators to challenge the person next to them when they are extremely vocal towards the referee in a negative way. Nothing like peer pressure to change habits.

Best moment refereeing a match?
At the conclusion of the game when you come off knowing you have performed well and contributed to an entertaining positive game of rugby. Much like players, when you are refereeing you know if you have had a good game and it's a good feeling being able to contribute to the spectacle.

Worst moment?
Everyone knows the answer to this one. The 2009 infamous decision to disallow Sona Taumololo's try in the corner against Canterbury. No one was more disappointed than me that I got it wrong, but the resulting reaction from fans in taking it out on my home and family was more than a little disappointing as obviously they had nothing to do with the decision. The reaction of a few idiots, I won't call them fans, left me questioning whether I wanted to continue to be involved in refereeing but ultimately I wasn't prepared to let these idiots drive me away from the game I love.

What have you made of the Television Match Official (TMO) system? What would you like to see improved?
Obviously I am a strong advocate for the TMO given the 2009 decision and the lack of the TMO at that time. It is pleasing to see, in a lot of cases, referees backing themselves to make a decision unlike league where almost every try goes to the TMO. In terms of improvements I believe over the next few years there will be improvements in technology which will allow for quicker decisions and fewer mistakes.