Thoughtsofanidlemind's Blog

Tag: Heineken Cup

  • The pain of CDG transits

    Is there another airport in the world that rivals CDG-Paris in terms of its ability to infuriate passengers through senseless bus journeys from one part of the airport to another? This thought came to my mind as I endured yet another opportunity to get far too close to people I…

  • Paris and Toulouse in one rugby weekend

    This past weekend I travelled to Paris and Toulouse to be the TV Match Official (TMO) for two games in the opening round of the 2011-12 Heineken Cup campaign. First up was the game between Racing Metro 92 and Cardiff Blues in Stade Colombes on Friday night followed by a…

  • Rugby, weapons, and conferences

    Lots has been happening over the past two weeks with trips to Las Vegas to speak at “The Experts Conference” (TEC), Flayosc (south of France) for some vacation, and England for rugby. It’s time to consider some of the incidents encountered along the way. I landed in Las Vegas late…

  • Catalan triumph in Barcelona

    It’s been a big rugby weekend in Europe as the Heineken Cup quarter-finals were played in Ireland, England, and Spain. Despite Spain’s relatively low status in world rugby, it hosted two games, both moved from France. The Olympic stadium in Barcelona, where I was the TMO, was the location for…

  • Tales of the unproductive TMO

    I fear that I am the most unproductive TMO in rugby. The last six matches that I have been involved in have seen just one potential try decision referred to me (480 minutes for one decision, very low productivity). I guess I have been fortunate to work with referees such…

  • Travel challenges in professional refereeing

    Being part of the refereeing team that works professional matches sounds interesting to people who are fans of the different sports that support professional teams and it is truly wonderful and privileged to be a part of massive sporting events such as a Heineken Cup final. However, like most things…

  • Games in Paris and Toulon

    I’ve just returned from a swing through France where I was the TV Match Official (TMO) for games in Paris (Stade Francais v Crociati Rugby in the Amlin Challenge Cup) and Toulon (Toulon v Ospreys in the Heineken Cup). These were the first matches for the teams in this season’s competitions.…

  • TV Match Official in Toulouse

    My outlet from technology is rugby refereeing. These days the number of actual games that I referee is low as age, weary knees, and creaky ankles all conspire to stop me getting around the field as I once did. So I do two things – performance review for active referees…