Getting stuck in

Not fit enough to referee this afternoon so I spent it watching a referee over in Gravesend. And a muddy old affair it was too, by the end of the game it was difficult to distinguish between the two sets of players which made it a challenge for the ref to identify who the culprits were when hands were in the ruck or players on the ground. There was a distinctive sticky, squelchy noise as the players ran across the muddy surface.

The winning team though had much better control of the ball, which incidentally was the same colour as the players, their handling in such slippery conditions was exceptionally good, holding on to passes which would have been challenging in good conditions.

In the bar afterwards I met up with an old friend and colleague from my time teaching in Gravesend, that I'd not seen for a good few years. So we had a chance to catch up on a few things before he had to leave with his son (now 27, the last time I saw him he was an 8 year old) and I had to go and speak with the ref.