This initiative will help upskill match officials in the key focus areas of the game, and the programme will run for over two months.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, May 28, 2020/ — Referees and Coaches of Match Officials (CMOs) drawn from across the continent are following a series of online workshops run by Alain Rolland, High-Performance 15s Match Official Manager for World Rugby. This initiative will help upskill match officials in the key focus areas of the game, and the programme will run for over two months.
With 42 participants (including 11 women), the English-speaking group, comprised of Botswana, Ghana, Lesotho, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia & Zimbabwe, kicked off on May 19 2020. The French-speaking group, with 35 participants (including eight women) from Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Senegal & Tunisia, began its first session on May 21 2020.
According to Mudiwa Mundawarara, Rugby Africa (www.RugbyAfrique.com) Referee Manager, the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions that it has brought, has meant that Rugby Africa have had to resort to the use of technology. “This will very much be the case going forward and will enable us to take such development initiatives more widely than just to the Rugby Africa Panel. Noteworthy, has been our insistence on the inclusion of women for these workshops. The numbers are still low, but this is a start. We hope to address this through development initiatives aimed specifically at women match officials’’, said Mundawarara.
Each group will hold seven one-hour sessions of, every two weeks. Facilitator, Alain Rolland, engages with the audience online via the Zoom platform by presenting videos on various phases of the game. The topics covered are as follows:
– Week 1 Breakdown (tackle and ruck)
– Week 2 Scrum
– Week 3 Foul play
– Week 4 Foul play 2
– Week 5 Lineout/Maul
– Week 6 Space
– Week 7 Any other business and wrap up
Beryl Akinyi, a female referee from Kenya, commented: “The workshop was very educative, thanks for the opportunity. I enjoyed the session, learnt a few things and refreshed on others that I already knew’’. As for Jacky Husselman, CMO from Namibia, “This first one was a very good session. Maybe a bit short on time, but I guess everyone has their things to do and we can’t have it longer. I’m looking forward to the next course”.
Alhambra Nievas, Referee Talent Development Manager with World Rugby, admitted her satisfaction. She recognized that “while the Covid-19 pandemic has produced plenty of challenges, World Rugby has identified this as an ideal opportunity to work with the regions and unions building together with our capability and capacity in providing a bespoke learning experience. This training project goes through the key areas of the game and agreed on guidelines, preparing us as Match Officials to be more consistent when rugby restarts.
“We kicked off this week with the first session around the breakdown. It is a new environment for everyone, not being in a room together. Still, the groups were very engaging and generated some great discussions with the different scenarios and clips which were reviewed”, concluded Alain Rolland, High-Performance 15s Match Official Manager with World Rugby.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Rugby Africa.
Media Contact:
Stefanie Burkert and Halima Djigo
Rugby@apo-opa.com
About Rugby Africa:
Created in 1986, Rugby Africa (www.RugbyAfrique.com), previously the African Confederation of Rugby (Confédération Africaine de Rugby – CAR), is one of the six regional associations composing World Rugby (www.WorldRugby.org), the international organization responsible for the governing of Rugby Union and Rugby Sevens. Rugby Africa unites all African countries which play rugby union, rugby sevens, and women’s rugby. Rugby Africa organizes the qualifying competition for the Rugby World Cup, and Africa Sevens, a qualifying competition for the Olympic Games. Rugby Africa has 39 members, including 22 members and associated members of World Rugby, 10 members and associated members of Rugby Africa and 16 new countries collaborating with Rugby Africa.
SOURCE
Rugby Africa
Read Also
- Senegalese President declares today a public holiday to celebrate AFCON win
- Fall in Love with Love at Banyan Tree Ilha Caldeira, Mozambique
- Ghana: The story of a coconut company that exports throughout the world
- Axim Government Hospital shuts two facilities to shoot Hollywood movie; residents cry foul
- Honoring Archbishop Desmond Tutu, An Advocate and Believer in Humanity
Follow Us
Putting a spotlight on business, inventions, leadership, influencers, women, technology, and lifestyle. We inspire, educate, celebrate success and reward resilience.
 drawn from across the continent are following a series of online workshops by Alain Rolland){kind=link}