The USA Rugby’s Referee & Laws Committee has restructured the requirements to be promoted to a B Grade referee and to retain that grade.

The changes allow a more realistic pathway to be promoted to B Grade and ensure that B Grade referees maintain the expected standards.

Previously referees had to attain 3 Above Grade reports over a period of 18 months. One of the reports was required to be “out of territory. Overall it was difficult to achieve and proved to be a financial burden on referee societies. Once referees attained the B Grade, there have been no requirements in place to maintain that standard.

Bruce Carter, Chairman of the Referee & Laws Committee says, “ADD QUOTE HERE”.

A public database will be created and maintained by USA Rugby Referees that will include all B Grade referees in the USA. This database will contain Name, Area, Report Status, Certification, Fitness Results.

B Grade Promotion criteria:
1. Two (2) Reports “At Grade” on a Level 4 match, OR
2. Two (2) Reports “Above Grade” on a Level 5 match, OR
3. One(1) Report “At Grade” on a Level 4 match AND One(1) Report “Above Grade” on a Level 5 match

• Reports need to be from 2 Performance Reviewers (Territorial or National Performance Reviewers) on separate matches
• One report needs to be on a Men’s Division 1 match
• All matches need to be full 80 minute matches
• The time period to achieve the requirements is 18 months
• 1 Report “At Grade” on a Level 5 match is allowed but not a “Below Grade”.
• Promoted referees are expected to have the L2 Referee course certification, or need to successfully complete the course within the next 12 months
• Fitness requirements expected are 10.0 on the Multi Stage Fitness Test (Beep)
• Promotion to B Grade will be the responsibility of the Local Referee Organization (LRO).

Once referees have been promoted they will need to retain their B Grade, annually.

B Grade Annual criteria:
1. One (1) Report “At Grade” on a Level 4 match OR “Above Grade” on a Level 5 match
• (Video reviews are acceptable)
• Match needs to be a full 80 minute match
• One (1) Report “At Grade” on a Level 5 match is allowed but not accepted for B Grade retention
• A “Below Grade” Report on a Level 5 match results in a downgrade to C1
2. 10.0 on the Multi Stage Fitness Test (BEEP)

• L2 Referee course certification completed
• Retention of the B Grade will be the responsibility of the Local Referee Organization (LRO)
• The Referee & Laws Committee and the USA Rugby Referee Department will review the database annually to ensure that criteria are met

For referees that are injured or are out of the country for a season, a 12-month waiver form can be submitted to the Referee & Laws Committee Executive for review and approval.

Referees that are unable to retain their B Grade will be downgraded to C1. To regain the B Grade referees would need to complete the promotion criteria again.

“We congratulate the Referee & Laws Committee on this positive approach.” says High Performance Referee Manager, Richard Every. “It allows for a smoother road to promotion and most importantly, maintains higher standards for match officials throughout the country. This should benefit the game greatly.”

USA Rugby Referees have also released the structure & pathways for Referees, Referee Coaches and Referee Performance Reviewers, from local to national. This includes education criteria, reporting formats, performance expectations, promotions, recruiting and funding responsibility. The document can be viewed here.

The current Referee & Laws Committee members consist of Bruce Carter (Chairman), Charlie Haupt (Secretary), and a representative from the each Competitive