Best Seat In The House: Is This The Easiest Job In Sport?
So you were never good enough to make the 1st XV, or even play rugby at all? Don’t worry, you can still make it! Jamie Wall explains how.
There’s one job in rugby that’ll land you on TV alongside the biggest stars in the game. The only qualifications required are the ability to carry a tiny flag (don’t worry, you don’t actually need to lift it up if you don’t want to) and the ability to shake your head and look confused.
It’s called being an assistant referee.
Back in the old days, you were actually responsible for making sure everyone knew when the ball went into touch, as well as if anyone hit the corner post while they were scoring a try. But they’ve taken care of the first role by handing it over to the TMO, then the latter by removing that rule altogether. But even back then, you could make a laughably bad mistake and still get away with it.
Just last weekend during the Chiefs big win over the Rebels, the absolute absence of any sort of responsibility was on show once again.
Is there any bloody reason for linesmen to be there if they can't make calls like this? #CHIvREB #SupeRugby pic.twitter.com/CNXrbnNI3I
— Jamie Wall (@JamieWall2) May 21, 2016
There are other career pathways in sports if you prefer the easy route to the highest level, for example:
- Long jump pit raker – you can make it all the way to the Olympics with this gig, plus you’ll be in the picture when a world record is broken.
- Running race starter – even if you point the gun at someone you can’t mess it up, because it’s full of blanks.
- Podium girl on a cycling tour – you don’t even need to kiss the winner if you don’t want to!
But for the sheer amount of prestige attached compared to the absolute lack of effort required to pull down a reasonably decent pay cheque, you can’t beat rugby assistant referee. Good news for leaguies: there’s just as little talent required in the 13-man code as well.
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The weather was dreadful but the playing surface was great so there is no real excuse for such another poor standard of play from both sides. Dragons just the better team. But, what a shocking decision by the TMO not to award the Fifita try. This pretty much sums up Welsh rugby with poor teams and poor officials. The WRU have a lot of work to do and it needs to be done quickly to avoid rugby being lost to our future generations.
Go to commentsNo chance of Borthwick selecting any young talent. He announced his selection policy from the outset with naming a poor OF as Captain, retaining an equally poor Youngs and Vunipola brothers when there were many better EQP in the Premiership. SB revival of Leicester was based on SA muscle and a terrific Welsh flanker he has generally ignored young English talent.
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