Referee shortage hits local rugby

A shortage of referees will impact on Wairarapa-Bush rugby this Saturday.
Insufficient trained and registered referees are available to cover all club and secondary school games, leaving the home clubs to organise the referee for three of the five matches in the senior reserves grade.
Wairarapa-Bush Rugby Referees Association secretary Peter Debney said the current situation meant all clubs hosting senior reserve games over the remainder of the season would be required to provide a referee, as and when required. They would come under the label of "associate referee" and must have attended a Rugby Smart workshop.
Debney said the WBRRA, with support from the region's referee development officer David Walsh, were prepared to organise such a workshop where the basic training and Rugby Smart requirements for associate referees would be covered.
"The ideal is for each club to have a pool of several associate referees and there is no reason why that can't happen," Debney said, adding that if clubs were quick in providing the WBRRA with names of potential associate referees a workshop could be run at short notice.
Debney said it was important too that senior reserves teams adhered to their playing conditions so that unfair demands weren't put on those referees associate or otherwise officiating in that competition.
The maximum of players allowed to be stripped for any senior reserves game is 25 (providing both team coaches and management agree) but there are provisos.
If a side has only three competent front row players the number of players it can nominate to play has a maximum of 20. If 21 players are nominated there must be four competent front row players and if between 22 to 25 players are nominated there must be five competent front row players.
The full draw for Saturday is:-
Premier division: Marist v Puketoi, Memorial Park at 2.30pm (G.Hall; G.Moorcock and K.Lochhead); Pioneer v Martinborough, Jean Street at 2.30pm (T.Roseingrave; S O'Gorman and T.Lyford); Carterton v Masterton Red Star, Carterton at 2.30pm (C.Jefferies; T.Penny and J.Devine); Gladstone v East Coast, Gladstone at 2.30pm (D.Goodin; T.Kiel and home team); Greytown v Eketahuna, Greytown at 2.30pm (G.Reisima; M.Brown and home team).
Senior reserves: Pioneer v Martinborough, Jean street at 1pm (T.Lyford); Carterton v Masterton Red Star, Carterton at 1pm (home club); Gladstone v East Coast, Gladstone at 1pm (home club); Greytown v Eketahuna, Greytown at 1pm (home club); Featherston v Tuhirangi, Featherston at 2.30pm (A.Payne); Marist a bye.
Colts: Eketahuna v OB Marist Green, Eketahuna at 1pm (V.Peterson).
Secondary schools: First XV: Rathkeale College v Dannevirke High School, Rathkeale at 12.30pm (G.Moorcock); Wairarapa College v Feilding High School, Wairarapa College at 12.30pm (S O'Gorman). Open grade: Wairarapa College Yellow v Wairarapa College Blue, Wairarapa College 2 at 11.15am (K.Lochhead); Chanel first XV v Kuranui first XV, Chanel at 11.15am (A.Payne); Rathkeale second XV v Makoura first XV, Rathkeale 2 at 11.15am (T.Lyford). Under-15: Wairarapa College v PNBHS,, Wairarapa College 2 at 10am (S O'Gorman). Junior: Wairarapa College Yellow v Kuranui, Wairarapa College 3 at 10am (J.Devine); Chanel v Wairarapa College Blue, Chanel at 10am (T.Penny); Makoura v Rathkeale White, Makoura at 10am (T.Kiel); Rathkeale Red v Rathkeale Green, Rathkeale College 2 (played midweek).
Meanwhile, the current points tables for the premier division and senior reserves competitions are:-
Premier division: East Coast 29, Masterton Red Star 26, Carterton 23, Martinborough 19, Gladstone 16, Marist 16, Pioneer 14, Greytown 13, Eketahuna 11 and Puketoi 1.
Senior reserves: Martinborough 26, Carterton 25, Pioneer 24, Masterton Red Star 24, Tuhirangi 10, Greytown 10, East Coast 9, Featherston 6, Marist 6, Eketahuna 5 and Gladstone 1.