Effective communication is a critical part of a rugby union referee’s performance, yet there is a dearth of literature surrounding this area of rugby union referee development.
This is the first study of its kind to examine elite male and female Irish referee’s (n = 6) in-game communicative behaviours. Participants had experience both at domestic league and international levels of the game. Audio footage from professional games (n = 18) was analysed and transcribed verbatim. Results of this study reveal different types of referee communicative behaviours; “preventative-instruction”, “command”, “explanation”, “organisation”, “acknowledgement”, “game-management”, “informative, and “consultation”. Each of these communicative referee behaviours is used interchangeably throughout the course of a rugby union game, depending on which one the referee deems most appropriate at any given time. There are several stressors that affect the type of communicative behaviour employed by the referee. Some of these stressors include the seriousness of an offence and the status of play. Having the ability to effectively communicate and interact with players has been identified as an imperative skill of a rugby union referee. Hence, improving and developing such a skill is of the utmost importance in order to enhance rugby referee performance.
https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2023.2220528
Dr. Ian Sherwin is the Course Director of the BSc Sport and Exercise Sciences in the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Limerick.
Contact: Email: Ian.sherwin@ul.ie @ian_sherwin ResearchGate
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