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).

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:

IRFU Concussion Guide

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.

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.

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.

IRFU Reportable Injury Form Here.

Referees are encouraged to familiarise themselves with IRFU guidelines on Advisory External Defibrillators (AEDs) for associated clubs and schools.

• World Rugby – Player Welfare
• IRFU – Medical

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. 

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. 

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.

The address for the society is c/o Ulster Rugby, Kingspan Stadium, 134 Mount Merrion Avenue, Belfast, BT6 0FT.

Honorary Secretary Barry O'Hara

hon.sec.usrfr@gmail.com

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