Ulster School's Cup Final 2018

MAN IN THE MIDDLE JONNY ERSKINE

Jonny Erskine knows a thing or two about being the man in the middle having racked up nine years of refereeing. After just four seasons refereeing for Ulster, his singular talent pushed him onto the IRFU national panel where he has refereed at the highest level in the domestic game and had the opportunity to run the line at both PRO14 and European matches. We caught up with him to get his thoughts on the challenges of refereeing the most anticipated domestic game of the season.

school and my boys in school dream about the Ulster Schools’ Cup and I know rugby schools across the province are exactly the same so being the guy with the best seat in the house for that final is a brilliant experience and one I’m really looking forward to. What challenges do you face refereeing such a hyped-up game? I guess the biggest challenge is that it is such an emotionally charged event for the players, for the schools and for staff. On the one hand, it’s being aware of that on the other it’s being able to do my job regardless of that. So, I think that’s the biggest challenge - being aware of the hype and emotion but not getting caught up in it and staying focused on what I’m there to do. How do you prepare for a game like this? We spend all season preparing. Every time we have an All-Ireland League match or a British Irish cup match we are assessed, we’re reviewed, we watch video footage, we reflect on that and try to get better as a referee, so I suppose all of that process provides the preparation for matches and experiences like this today. For this match, in particular, I was trying not to do anything too different in preparation. I still went through the same kind of fitness training, I still went through my own personal preparation and prepared with the team of officials in the same way to make sure that we are doing all the things that we can to not be noticed too much on the field. Which referee do you most admire and why? Of all time, I suppose it would be Alain Rolland just because of the standard that he set in Irish

How did you get into refereeing? I was recovering from a shoulder injury. I had dislocated my shoulder nine times playing rugby and I was just starting my PGCE for teaching so I did my rugby coaching and referees course at the same time. As I was recovering I took up more refereeing and I really enjoyed it. It’s kind of just gone from there. I teach in Banbridge Academy, I coach rugby in school there as well and pretty much every weekend of the season I referee in the All Ireland League or the British & Irish Cup or I run the line in PRO14 or Europe. What key skills are required to be a good referee? For me, empathy is a massive one, at the end of the day, guys are trying to play a sport. They’re trying to express themselves so having empathy with what they’re trying to do is very important. One of the key skills required is the ability to communicate clearly. Obviously, as a referee you’re there to enforce the laws and to ensure that the game is played so good communication skills with the players is essential. Also, I think a good skill for any referee is being able to analyse and reflect on your performance to identify areas for personal improvement so that you don’t stand still and are getting better as a referee.

REFEREE PROFILE: JONNY ERSKINE The Schools' Cup Final is the most anticipated domestic game of the season - how do you feel about being the man in the middle?

The Schools’ Cup Final is the single biggest domestic game in Ulster bar none. With the passion of the crowds, the colours, the noise, the old school alumni coming out for the day as well, what’s not to love? I’m a teacher. I coach boys in

www.danskebankschoolscup.com

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