In a shock turn up from the RFU Appointments Bureau, your favourite blogging ref has been sent to the South West for the first weekend of the season.

I will therefore be in my usual hotel on Friday night so will use the time to set the scene for the season and what I expect to happen.

Going to be a good season, hopefully both on the pitch and off it!!  Regular readers will be pleased to hear that RefBlog Jnr is progressing nicely and is already causing some problems for Mrs Refblog. Not sure I understand the biology but its apparently not that nice to be kicked in the bladder from the inside. What do I know!

Well, the kit bag is in the hall, the radio’s are charged, my shirts are on their hangers,  but I have’t managed to get my hair cut for my TV appearance in the morning!

Hey ho!

Sky Sports Xtra – 11.20!

Followed by an afternoon runout in SW London with a Nat 3 side v a Nat 2 side. Not quite the gentle run out I was hoping for for my first game under the ELVs.

Will report back this week on how it goes.

Of small blonde ladies, who purport to work in gyms and have “Personal Trainer” on their polo shirts. They are not. They are the emissionaries of pain. And you have to pay them.

Max Moseley got into all sorts of trouble for something not entirely unsimilar!!

Fitness test – passed (well survived)

Appointments – very pleased with first batch

Pre-season games – worried by lack of

Middlesex 7s – no longer refereeing (see point 2)

ELV presentation 1 – amused by complete lack of knowledge of 2 year old law by the county’s coaches, never mind new lot!

Training – going OK. Not brilliant, but OK. Training with local club tomorrow. Hopefully first run out with ELVS

Mrs Ref – blooming!

Apparently, this is my 100th post -hurrah for me!!

Long old trek up north yesterday for the thrice yearly fitness test. I’m sure, dear readers, you love such events as much as me, and I can’t begin to scribe my exact feelings! Pleased to say there was progress in most areas and I wasn’t instantly thrown off the National Panel afterwards so I guess all is well.

Still not happy with how I am, but still a few weeks off the start of the season. Got a feel for my first batch of appointments and I’m pretty pleased – carrying on where I left off last year so again, pretty chuffed.

I’ll be carrying on blogging throughout the season – I’ve enjoyed the last 100 posts and hope the next 100 are as enjoyable – for us all. If you want to pass the link around your Society, please do so. Im occasionally disappointed by the readership levels, but that’s not why I do this!

Hope your summer’s are going well!

Happy holidays!

I bit the bullet a few weeks ago and got myself a personal trainer – a delightful (looking) lady at my local gym.  I regret it at this stage on a Thursday night. I can’t remember the last time I felt so bad after any form of exercise. She kills me! Keep reminding msyelf that it’s all worth it end.

9 days and counting till the day of reckoning!

Seriously, if you can afford it, go for it. Ive been going to the gym for nearly 5 years and never worked as hard as I have for the last three weeks.  i suspect that like many refs, I train alone,and it obviously isn’t anywhere near as good as having someone there to tell you what to do and push you.

I have only just noticed that my domain name hoster had wiped out the rules I set up for anything sent to ref@refblog.co.uk.

I’ve sorted it out and apologise to anyone who has tried to email me in recent weeks/months!

E-mail away!!

In a moment of madness weakness, and to support a friend who has been losing some serious weight (7 stones and counting), I have signed up to do the Great Yorkshire Run on September 7th.

Never done any form of endurance activity before so its an interesting experience to go out on the streets and train that way. Can’t say its top of my fun things to do list and my will power is weak, but Im determined to get through it. Im trying to do some weekly long runs (1/2 hour at a stretch) so hopefully with the time issue under my belt, the distance will just sort itself out. No targets on time, I just want to get round with my two running mates and raise some money for charity. We’re running it for The Prostrate Charity, a worthy cause who are helping said mate’s father through a small local difficulty at the moment. Caught early so hopefully all will be well.

Donation via: www.justgiving.com/refblog

Comments and advice in the usual way please!

It’s the National Panel conference this coming weekend so yesterday afternoon, I spent some quality time getting to know the ELVs. As ive said before, I’d taken the deliberate step of avoiding all of them until I had finished the old season and could concentrate on them properly.

I don’t often have cause to praise the authorities, but I was genuinley impressed with the IRB ELV guide (www.irb.com/ELVs) It explains what the intention is and what the new law will read like. Some of the video clips helped me get a feel for what I’m going to see and then the likely answers to the inevitable questions. Think we’re going to be tested by clubs as they try to take advantage of the new areas. Im sure a lot of coaches have spent a lot of time going through them with a fine toothcomb to see what the law will allow them.

But I don’t have many quetsions. For example – some people have raised the question of the defending hooker. The new law says that in formation, they must be 2m off the front of the lineout. Fair enuff. No more “is he in, is he out” problems. But no other elements of law have changed, so in terms of what then happens – no change.  He can join in the maul or do whatever he always used to do, except become a front lifter. He wont be able to get there in time to be effective. Hey ho!

Haven’t really found any major issues. Some areas need clarification, but that is what will come out of the weekend. Looking forward to it!