Man in the middle | Mental preparation is key to every good ref’s game plan

This weekend sees the final round of games that will decide the Paul Y Premiership title and which team will claim the last spot in the Grand Championship play-offs.

It could not be closer with Leighton Asia HKCC and WhichWay Valley tied on points at the top, while Abacus Kowloon and Hong Kong Scottish, who are also tied on points, do battle for that fourth and final play-off place.

I am refereeing the game between Newedge Club and HKCC and it should be a belter. All games are important but with the league title and a Grand Championship berth at stake, all referees know they must be fully focused and prepared for the games.

As this is the first referee’s blog, I thought it would be useful to explain how we do this.

Referees at the top level will prepare a game plan for their match. For the uninitiated, a game plan for the referee provides a concise, yet detailed mental checklist for various aspects of the game.

It allows a referee to put into writing his or her “Clarity Statement”, which can include something about the game and yourself, who will be playing, team traits and patterns, how you are feeling and what the game means to you.

It also provides a section on “Capability and Specific Triggers”, which helps the referee determine priorities at scrum, line-out, tackle, offside, communication with captains, and so on.