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Ben’s very busy as a rugby referee
At 19 years of age Ben Cole certainly has the world at his feet in terms of being a rugby referee since he is rightly regarded as one to watch for the future after setting out with his whistle a couple of seasons ago and immediately building a rapport with players that, when linked with his understanding of the game’s laws, had him maintaining a firm control on games, despite being so young.
Ben took up the whistle originally to officiate at inter-house matches at Greenhill School, Tenby and enjoyed it so much that he decided that being the man in the middle was for him and he decided to try and become a rugby referee.
Learning from other refs
Luckily, he contacted the Pembrokeshire Association of Rugby Union Referees, was welcomed into their fold, took the refereeing course and has been in the middle ever since.
He attends almost all of the monthly meetings since and says of them:
“I have learned a great deal from listening to what has gone on with more experienced refs and all the local refs are happy to give advice when I ask for it. Not only that but I really enjoy the good humour and camaraderie of the meetings – and we also have guest speakers who are great for imparting their knowledge, like Dai Davies, the Rugby Development Officer from Cardiff and Nigel Owens, the international referee who has taken charge of matches all over the world.
It is nice to know that both are at the other end of a mobile phone.”
Much travelled already
Ben’s own travels have already taken him all over Wales as he has moved from officiating at junior, youth and second XV matches to taking charge of Division Six games in the WRU National Leagues.
He has had decent assessments so far this campaign and is hoping that the assessors meeting at the end of the season will see him promoted to Division Five as the next step in the ladder for him. One such assessment came in the recent Pontrhydyfen versus Pantyffynon match in the Worthington Cup (for junior union teams) and he was forced to send off two home players, one for alleged kicking and the other for alleged stamping. He was still brave enough to go into the home bar afterwards to discuss the match with his assessor, who wasn’t unhappy about the way Ben had handled both teams!
Red mist brings about red cards
Ask Ben about sending players off and his answer is unequivocal:
“I like to see 30 players on the pitch at the end of the match but it is up to them. I have only shown one other red card this campaign and, as I was told when I was on my induction course, you know straight away that a player has to leave the pitch if it is a serious breaking of the rules. Then I know that if he has to go then he has to go, and that is all about it!”
Training of a different kind
Ben really enjoyed his administrative work with WP Lewis and Son, the garage run by Stuart Lewis and his son Gareth at Greenfield, near Carew, since both are self-confessed rugby fanatics but he is currently on an induction course of a different sort because he is on a nine week training course at Carmarthen to become a Community Support Officer in Crymych and is already looking forward to playing a part in that community, where he has reffed a few times, including a Welsh Youth Cup match where they easily beat Nant Conwy Youth by 30-odd points.
Family support
His recent travels have taken him to Caerleon for their Division Six (East) local derby with Hartridge High School Old Boys, and to Machynlleth in Mid Wales to officiate their Worthington Cup clash with Blackwood Stars. It was a long trip but he is very lucky that dad Wes, the well-known Carew cricketer, went with him, as usual as a great supporter, as are mum Carol and younger brother Ollie.
Humour allowed – but not dissent
He readily admits that he doesn’t mind humour from the touchline, as long as it is kept in proportion but tolerates no back-chat from players, a wise move since he is young and fresh-faced looking, and now that his reffing has taken him wider afield than just Pembrokeshire he has to show who is in charge at every match or players will try to ref the game for him.
“I can’t let that happen, can I?” he says in his matter of fact way. And do you know what? You get the distinct feeling that Ben knows exactly what he needs to do in his reffing and gets on with it in the unflurried manner that he adapts to life, as well as to blowing his ref’s whistle.
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