Rugby Referee Talk and Q&A

Shiplake College was delighted to welcome professional international rugby referee, Christophe Ridley for a conversation via Zoom during activities yesterday.

At just 27 years old, Christophe is England Rugby's youngest professional referee. He spoke today about his fascinating career to date and rugby in lockdown.

Christophe was joined by a panel for the session including Head of Athletic Development, Mr Ed Bowden, Director of Rugby Mr Sam Beckett and sports commentator Dave Rogers, who led the conversation and questions.

Christophe began by talking about refereeing during lockdown with no crowds, however he recognises how lucky they have been that they could continue to play games during this period, including the Six Nations. He also spoke about how having a microphone during a rugby game, really helps with people's enjoyment and understanding of the game, and he gave some advice for young people thinking about getting into refereeing.

For a bit of fun, Dave also hosted a quick fire questions round:

• Best player ever refereed - Owen Farrell
• Favourite sport outside of rugby - Football
• Favourite sportsperson of all time - Johnny Wilkinson
• Best atmosphere at a game refereed - Varsity match Oxford v Cambridge
• Best thing about being a profession ref - the cool watch you get to keep time
• Best place in the world to referee - Georgia
• Best refereeing moment - Refereeing a match in Siberia in minus 5 
• Best food to eat after a game - Fillet of salmon and greens
• One ground you would love to ref in that you haven't already - Eden Park

Mr Bowden said of the talk: "It was fascinating to hear from Christophe Ridley, he spoke so eloquently about life as a professional referee and I gained so much information that I hadn't previously thought of. It was interesting to hear from a referee, a person so integral to professional rugby matches but who if they have done their job correctly should not be spoken about."

Thank you very much for joining us Christophe and we look forward to you refereeing a Shiplake rugby match soon!

Watch the full conversation here: