Good Rugby

I got to watch one game yesterday. Islanders vs Tama Sulu Ie. It was a great game, the best one I’ve seen here. The Islanders won 3-0 in a tough fought match. The teams were pretty evenly matched and played pretty much the same. There were a couple of breaks throughout the game, but defense was good on both sides, and a little more discipline could be had on offence for both. Missed opportunities from either not passing when they should or passing when they shouldn’t. Pretty common in the level of rugby I always played, but can be overcome with practice.

Tama Sulu Ie played noticeably better than the last time I saw them play last year. They have new uniforms too, but I’m sure their playing has more to do than just new jerseys.

I have to say that the Union (Hawaii State Rugby Union) has really made an impact. This game, while very physical as is typical here, was well played. The push for clean, disciplined play is taking hold. Also, spectators are kept back away from the field about six feet or so, which adds a level of control over the whole game and field. Union officials are also on-hand to monitor and keep things under control. Good job guys and girls. Union Secretary Shelly was on the ball, keeping tabs of things and taking notes for future improvements.

I also have to mention the refereeing. The two referee clinics that have taken place recently are really paying off. Ikuna, who is also a player for Kalihi Raiders did an exceptional job, not only of calling the game, but keeping it well under control. The touch judges, who were both trained and qualified as referees added an extra level of professionalism.

Keep up the good work everyone, and good luck to all the teams.




Adopt-A-Rugger Hug-A-Rugger

Impressive.... Most impressive.... But you are not a Jedi yet

The Hawaii State Rugby Union held a team meeting last night, prior to the season starting. I am very impressed with everyone who is involved. There are a lot of dedicated people working hard to take rugby to the next level here. Here's just a few of the things going on:

The Hawaii State Rugby Union consists of the following teams (adult):

Founding members

UH Rugby Club
Kalihi Raiders
Samoan Warriors
Islanders Rugby Club

New members

Hurricanes Rugby Club (North Shore)
Barbarians
Hawaii Harlequins

The schedule for the season is being developed and will be posted to the Hawaii State Rugby Union website soon. Contact info for all the teams and Union officials will be posted too.

The Referee Society, which installed officers last weekend, will fall under the Union administration umbrella. The newly certified referees will have a chance to get some game time in at this weekends pre-season round-robin tournament (at Kapiolani Park starting at 11:00 am, Saturday).

A Disciplinary Committee for the Union was established, to clarify existing rules, enforce them, and modify them as needed, as well as handle all disciplinary matters.

This Friday we're having a meeting for the Hawaii Youth Rugby. We're all working together towards the same goals. Woo hoo! There's a lot of organizations out there who could take some lessons from what's going on here.

So, things are looking pretty organized, we've got good people in all the key positions, we're good to go.

Referee clinic and other lessons

Completed the referee clinic and passed the test. So I guess that means I'm an officially certified ref at level 1, the lowest level. I wasn't quite sure of the levels and what they mean exactly. My brain was filled with rules and I couldn't fit much else in there.

The course was excellent. The instructor, Josh Tameifuna, was outstanding. The only problem is that after the class I feel less qualified then ever to actually referee a match. My brain still hurts from trying to remember everything. You think you know the game and have a good understanding of the rules, and suddenly you realize you know a lot less than you thought you did. Everybody in the class really knows their rugby, and now more than ever.

So now Hawaii has 16 certified refs, though some probably won't really do any reffing, for various reasons. But the people who have already been reffing will be better than ever, and now they'll be new refs. Excellent! Not only that, but we now have an official Referee Society or Committee, with elected officers. A President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer were elected by the newly certified referees. I'll report more on that as things develop. My thoughts are that the Hawaii State Rugby Union be the top level administrative body, with the Referee Committee falling under them for administrative purposes. Integration, integration, integration. We all have to act as one cohesive unit; the Union, the Youth Rugby, the Referees. Things look good so far. There are a lot of talented and dedicated people involved and working hard. Tuesday night is a Union meeting for all the adult teams.

One of the key concepts that Josh talked about all through the course was the management of the game as the referee. As the referee, you're the sole judge of the laws of the game. How you apply those laws during the game is how you manage the game. You want play to flow, but you also want to control the game. Sometimes you need to keep a tight grip on things, so instead of giving someone a warning, you immediately penalize them, or you're more forceful in telling the players what you want and what you expect. Sometimes you can give the teams more free reign, because things are going well, so you let play flow more freely and give lighter warnings.

Those same principles can, and should, be applied to your business or organization. Sometimes you need to exert more control, keep a closer eye on things and check up on certain things more often. Other times you want to just let thing flow along on their own to encourage free thinking among your employees and foster innovation.

Isn't it just amazing the business lessons you can learn from the rugby field?

Oh, they're still trying to recruit more women (adults) and ideally grow some more women's teams. So if you know any women who are interested, or just curious, about rugby, contact Mindi at girlgoyle@aol.com.


And, of course, Adopt-A-Rugger and Hug-A-Rugger.

Referee Clinic - Day 1

Wow! What a great clinic. Learning all kinds of things I didn't know. It will certainly enhance my rugby watching experience, if nothing else.

I'm the least knowledgeable in the class. I guess that means I'm getting more of my money's worth.

Got a ref's whistle and red and yellow cards. Told my wife she better watch out, because if she's bad, she's going to get a whistle and a yellow card. Exhibited my whistling and card holding prowess to her. I think she was impressed, and she'll be on her toes now.

Since lunch went overlong today, we're having potluck tomorrow. Anyone who's lived in the islands can understand the importance of this. Bringing food, I mean. I volunteered to bake bread. Haole food, but that's all I know how to cook. It's rising now, and I'll pop it in the oven in the morning. One batch of Focaccia and one batch of Olive Bread.

Will report back tomorrow. After I practice my whistle technique.