Referee (rugby league)

Rugby league match officials are responsible for fairly enforcing the Laws of the Game from a neutral point of view during a match of rugby league football and imposing penalties for deliberate breaches of these Laws. The most senior match official is the referee, they may be assisted by a range of other officials depending on the level and rules of the competition.

The match officials may use the following equipment:

Match officials on the playing field including the referee, touch judges and in-goal judges all wear an official uniform of a colour distinguishable from those being worn by the two sides playing each other. These uniforms have no special markings to signify the official capacity of the wearer, instead this can be identified by the positioning and equipment of the official.

Different refereeing systems are in use:

The players of each team should be made available for kit inspection. The referee inspects the playing kit of the two teams to ensure it is within the rules, safety is the main concern. The boots worn by players can be of particular interest so as to make sure that there are no sharp edges. The strapping worn by some players has also been scrutinised.

The referee organises a coin toss with the captains of the two teams playing to decide which team kicks off and which end they play at from kick-off.

Referees may take disciplinary action from the moment they enter the playing field until the moment they leave it after they have blown their whistle to signal full-time. The referee may blow for half time and full-time when those periods have elapsed, or after hearing the hooter if responsibility has been delegated.

Potential top level referees must first pass refereeing exams set by a governing body, such as the Rugby Football League in the United Kingdom, before officiating at progressively more senior levels of the sport, gaining experience in amateur competitions and then moving onto the professional leagues where they will progress to the top if good enough. Referees need to be "very fit", with physical training being a requirement at a professional level of competition. Good communication skills, an ability to "handle top athletes with respect and authority" and being able to operate under pressure and scrutiny have been cited as by Stuart Cummings, a former referee, as skills needed to control a game.

Full-time referees have been used in the Super League professional competition since 2007.

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