A team of top New Zealand Rugby referees have arrived in Sri Lanka to elevate the standard of officiating among local rugby referees ahead of the upcoming Club rugby season.
The programme is organised under the leadership of Sri Lankan-born Krishan Ambawatte, now residing in New Zealand, in partnership with the Sri Lanka Society of Rugby Football Referees and Sri Lanka Rugby, supported by Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Sports.
The experienced New Zealand Rugby referees will participate in a 24-day referee development and training program aimed at elevating local officiating and club coaching standards.
The New Zealand Rugby referees, who are members of the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union, will deliver crucial training right before the 2024/25 Sri Lanka Club Rugby Season.
The objective of the initiative is to prepare Sri Lankan referees with enhanced skills and knowledge to support higher standards of officiating across the country.
Here’s a closer look at the experts joining this effort:
Sam Fellows: A Level-2 referee with 21 years of experience across Auckland, Waikato, and the Southern California Rugby Unions. He’s also currently a NZ National Referee. He’s officiated 39 New Zealand First Class games, 110 Provincial Premier games, and three World Rugby Sevens tournaments. His highlights include refereeing the Bay of Plenty Premier Final and officiating the Coral Coast Sevens in Fiji. Sam’s coaching experience will add further depth to the training. Sports Lecturer, Lawyer, Tribunal Member of Prime Minister’s Sports Tribunal of New Zealand and Deputy Chairperson of Bay of Plenty Rugby Union.
Sam Thompson: With over 18 years in refereeing, Sam is currently affiliated with the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union. He has officiated 40+ New Zealand First Class games and 144 Provincial Premier games, ranking as the top referee in Horowhenua-Kāpiti Rugby Union from 2018 to 2023. His accolades include three Premier finals and two Hurricane Zone College Boys Finals.
Sean Curragh: Representing the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union, Sean brings seven years of experience, including officiating the Bay of Plenty Premier Development Final and working as an assistant referee for National NPC games. Sean has officiated five Provincial Premier games and is steadily making his mark in rugby officiating. He’s also a current Chief’s Region Development Squad Member.
Speaking on the initiative, Krishan Ambawatte, a civil engineer who has refereed national touch rugby and assistant referees at the provincial premier rugby level, said he had reached out to Sri Lanka Rugby Referees to help realise this vision.
“Earlier this year, I reached out to Sri Lanka Rugby Referees to help realise this vision, offering my support for a comprehensive training program for Sri Lankan referees at no cost. This proposal was well received by the Sri Lanka Society of Rugby Football Referees, Sri Lanka Rugby & Ministry of Sports.
“Our team is dedicated to making a positive impact in Sri Lankan rugby, providing training workshops with referees (tier 1-3), Judicial/Citing Officers, administrators, and club coaches and captains, as well as officiating several matches during the trip. This collaboration represents a valuable opportunity to build lasting connections between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, aiming to create a legacy of improved rugby officiating for both nations,” he said.
Krishan Ambawatte added that the initiative was also made possible through the efforts of Sri Lanka Society of Rugby Football Referees’ (SLSRFR) Chairman Dinka Peiris, Referee Manager Anil Jayasinghe, Treasurer Madhawa Wijesiri, Asia Rugby Referee Manager Dilroy Fernando, and the Director General of Sports at the Ministry of Sports Dr. Shemal Fernando. (Newswire)
