Referees and Officials Resources
Referees and Officials Resources
About Refereeing in Ulster
The content of this page is primarily for the use of members of the Ulster Society of Rugby Football Referees (USRFR: The Society). Rugby in Ulster is officiated by members of the Ulster Society of Rugby Football Referees.
The report of the Society for the 2025/26 season may be found here.
USRFR Discipline Update 2026
At times players by accident, or design, break the laws of the game. Our primary role as referees and match officials is to ensure the health and safety of all the players. Ensuring the game is safe includes ensuring discipline on and off the field is maintained through the correct application of the laws which include foul or dangerous play. Being consistent and fair when we make these decisions is vital if we are to maintain the ethos of our sport.
The ethos of the game means that we try to prevent foul and/or dangerous play, but if it still occurs (including dissent and verbal abuse) we act according to the laws and sanction players appropriately.
The USRFR, Branch and Union are 100% committed to supporting referees and match officials making these incredibly important decisions and to a process that makes recording and reporting such incidents straightforward and transparent.
Discipline statistics for the 2025/26 season-
73 red cards or incidents reported
5 were 2 yellows
7 for ref abuse/verbal abuse
37 from age grade games schools and youth
3 from girls or women’s matches
7 off field or no card incidents
42 were under Law 9.12 – Striking – with punching most common
The protocol for reporting red cards is:
- Make sure that you record the necessary information for the Red Card report form – this includes the player/s names, position, club and offence/s.
- Read the Guidance on report writing
- Advice, guidance and counsel will be provided by the Society through the Referee Disciplinary Liaison Chris (Gus) Logan. He is contactable on 07969 157 137 and a referee shall contact him who has a red card or any other match incident.
- He should be contacted on the day of the sending off by phone call, or at a pinch, text message to advise him that you have sent a player off.
- He will advise on the protocol for reporting, can discuss the incident in more depth and offer advice.
- Additional information can also be provided on Branch Disciplinary Hearing procedures.
- The red card report form may be found here. << create hyperlink to Red and abuse report 260805, attached>>
- The Red Card report must be with Gus Logan by Monday 9am for a Saturday match. His email address is clogan818@c2kni.net
- Please asterisk out any swear words used – leaving only one letter as there is a filter system on Gus’s emails.
- Do not discuss the details of a sending off with the team, or other members of the club.
- Do not discuss a sending off on the USRFR Facebook forum or any form of social media.
- On the rare occasion and only If requested, attend the Branch Disciplinary Hearing, a senior society member will accompany you at this stage if required. The meeting usually takes place on the next available Wednesday night. Hearings are only in cases where the club disputes or wishes to add mitigation to a red card, and are as such, quite rare as most clubs accept the decisions remotely without need of a hearing.
Abuse
The protocol for reporting non-red card incidents or official abuse by a non-player or unidentified person is:
- If you are subject to verbal or physical abuse, or are witness to such cases in or around your match, and the person involved is either not a player or coach, or could not be identified, then you should report this to Chris (Gus) Logan in the same way as you would a red card.
- Ensure that you inform a club official or team captain that you intend making a report to the Branch about the incident before you leave the ground (if you feel that it is safe to do so)
- Contact Gus Logan to discuss the incident
- Complete the second page of the reporting form. The red card and abuse report form may be found here. Red Card and Abuse Report
- Send the form to Gus by Monday (for a weekend match)
- The incident is dealt with by the Branch Secretary in conjunction with the club and Ulster Branch officials.
Single yellow card events to individual players are no longer recorded at Branch. If a player receives two yellow cards in a fixture it is to be treated as a red card report and referees shall follow the protocol accordingly.
Guidance for match officials in dealing with abuse matters may be found here IRFU Abuse Guidelines Further guidance may be sought from the Referee Development Manager.
Clarity for match officials in reporting post-game events may be found hereIncidents after final whistle Further guidance may be sought from the Referee Development Manager and the Referee Disciplinary Liaison.
Members' Privacy Notice
The Society’s policy on personal information held for its members can be found here:
Office Holders
As with every volunteer organisation we operate on a strong base of individuals working together to contribute to the running of the society and playing our part in the structures of Ulster Rugby.
Click here for Office Holders 2026/27
USRFR Rules Regulations
A copy of the latest Rules & Regulations for the Ulster Society of Rugby Football Referees can be found here:
Meetings
Refereeing can be described as an art rather than a job; it is dynamic and tactile whilst needing empathy with the players and strength of resolve to control a potential volatile environment. The society operates a number of meetings, training sessions and workshops throughout the province to develop the skills and knowledge needed to efficiently manage a game of Rugby. Many of these are open to any rugby lover to attend.
Click here to learn more about our society meetings
Grade
The level of game a match official may take on and be selected for is set by an experienced panel of performance assessors/evaluators. These grades are reviewed bi-annually and are based on the analysis of referees’ performance under evaluation.
History
Over the years this society has contributed, and still supplies, some of the best referees in Europe if not the world.
Health & Safety
A rugby referee’s number one priority will always be PLAYER SAFETY. World Rugby and the IRFU provide advice for players, coaches and referees on various aspects of Health & Safety.
A referee’s First Aid responsibility is limited to ensuring that any injured player is protected from further harm and immediate access provided to the best possible medical care. If in doubt make sure play stops immediately – common sense prevails.
Health & Safety Key Areas
LAW 3.22C. REFEREE'S POWER TO STOP AN INJURED PLAYER FROM CONTINUING
If the referee decides (with or without medical advice) that it would be inadvisable for a player to continue, the referee orders that player to leave the playing area.
The referee may also order an injured player to leave the field in order to be medically examined (Law 3.23).
CONCUSSION
Information on the symptoms and impacts of concussion is now widely available.
World Rugby’s message is simple: ‘Recognise and Remove’.
Referees are not required to have expert medical responsibility but should be aware of the need to recognise on field signs and symptoms of concussion. In any situation where there is doubt over a player’s ability to safely return to play we must ensure the player is removed from the game and does not return. This is covered within Law 24 (and Law 22c).
Referees must formally and clearly handover responsibility for a player with suspected or confirmed concussion to a person of responsibility on the pitch or sideline. A recommended statement is:
‘I am removing this player from the field of play with a suspected concussion. They now need to be monitored and should be assessed medically.’
Referees must also advise the Ulster Branch (or relevant match/tournament organiser) if a player has been removed from a game due to suspected concussion. The player’s club and Branch have responsibility for following the appropriate protocols.
Enforcing the laws of the game, particularly with regard to dangerous tackles and foul play, is a critical part of a referee’s responsibility for preventing serious injuries including concussion.
All referees should familiarise themselves with the content of the IRFU’s video on ‘Concussion & the Referee’: If in doubt, sit them out!
You may access your Gain-line system for courses and concussion guidance via logging in here.
A handy wallet card format concussion guide is available here:
SAFE RUGBY
IRFU’s SAFE Rugby (Standard Approach to Field Emergencies) programme aims to provide rugby specific, pitch side emergency care training and skills to medical staff and non medical individuals involved at all levels in Irish rugby.
Further advice may be sought from the referee development manager.
HEAD INJURY ASSESSMENT (H.I.A)
All referees, players and coaching staff are reminded that formal Head Injury Assessment protocols only apply to the professional game. At all levels of amateur/domestic rugby including All Ireland League, any player removed from the field of play for precautionary reasons under concussion protocols may not return to play.
To be clear THERE IS NO H.I.A. protocol in the domestic game. Period.
REPORTING INJURIES
The role of the match official in the application and administration of “Recognise & Remove” is vital in the protection of player safety. The role of the referee in this process is to be aware of the signs and symptoms of concussion, ensure players exhibiting those signs and symptoms are removed from the field of play, and report any incidents.
Reporting Process for an affiliated referee recording a significant player injury.
Affiliated referees should refer to their training in the importance of recording match incidents.
It is important to also note that by filling in the required form, the club/school affiliated official is not handing over responsibility to the IRFU or their provincial branch for the care or management of the effected player. It remains the responsibility of the club/school official to follow up on their player and report any serious incidents to their province.
Click here to report an injury
Effective November 2025, any significant injury, especially including Recognise and Remove incidents, must be reported through the ‘Game Incident’ option in the Game Management section of the SportLomo App. Significant injury may be characterised as injuries that involve formal medical attention, ambulance or hospitalisation.
A short video tutorial on how to use this feature is available here.
Any queries thereafter will be handled by the designated personnel in the IRFU Medical Department or Provincial Branch Office.
Should you have any queries please get in touch with the Referee Development Manager in your province.
DEFIBRILLATORS
Referees are encouraged to familiarise themselves with IRFU guidelines on Advisory External Defibrillators (AEDs) for associated clubs and schools.
Wider Referees & Officials Resources
Affiliated Club & School Referees
It is IRFU Policy that all matches from U13 upwards are refereed by:
- Branch Referees or
- Club & School Affiliate Referees
Club & School Affiliate Referees are not Branch Referees. They are club or school members who are qualified to referee matches involving their own club or school where no branch referee is available or has not been appointed. They usually referee underage games and provide an important function in servicing the game at this level in their club or school.
Guidance for USRFR referees who are approached to undertake games for their affiliated club or school may be found here.
The IRFU Affiliate Referee Course is now available online via the IRFU’s online education platform, Gainline.
For further information on how to access the course please visit IRFU courses.
Discussion Forum
The Discussion Forum for USRFR members is now available via Facebook.
Members are encouraged to share news, discussion points, photos and videos. The forum is the ideal source for topical discussion and quick access to information on issues or changes affecting our role as referees.
Please note this is a Closed Forum which may only be accessed by current USRFR members.
Members are reminded that only relevant and appropriate information should be submitted. Content is managed by Society administrators and anything deemed inappropriate will not be approved for upload to the forum.
Any queries regarding operation of the forum should be directed to the society administration team via the Honorary Secretary of the Society.
Access the forum here: USRFR Members FaceBook Group
Members who have not yet signed up for the forum can request access via the above link.
Society members should familiarise themselves with and follow IRFU social media policy which may be found here.
Members Directory
Due to the GDPR guidance principles referee contact details are generally no longer publicly available.
Those referees who have agreed to their numbers being published are found here
For the benefit of Clubs & Schools and Society Members, if a fixture is altered and an evaluator has been allocated to that fixture, good practice would be to inform that Evaluator whose contact details may be found here.
For any required contact details other than those in the linked materials please contact the Branch offices on (028) 9049 3222.
For Society members, 29th August our Hon Sec transmitted the latest available contact details for schools and clubs within compliance to GDPR. Protocol would dictate that your host reaches out to you prior to your fixture. However, we offer these contacts as a back up to ensure the fixture is live before you travel. Refer to the Email for more details.
Contact Us
The address for the society is c/o Ulster Rugby, Kingspan Stadium, 134 Mount Merrion Avenue, Belfast, BT6 0FT.
Honorary Secretary Barry O'Hara
Referee Development Manager Richard Kerr 07493 868388 richard.kerr@irfu.ie
LATE CRY-OFF In the event of a referee cry-off, the Branch voicemail 02890 494834 is picked up by staff at 9:30am on Saturdays. Back up the cry-off notice via email to Jill McCullough ASAP and alter your status on eSport: fixtures@ulsterrugby.com
You must make every effort to speak with a support team member.
Further information may be found here.
Rob Weir has agreed to be a point of contact if any referee becomes unavailable to fulfil their selected fixture shortly before that fixture and if the Branch office is closed (Friday evening/early Saturday):
Rab Weir - 07772621603