The Rugby Football Union have just announced that Royal Navy referee Lt Cdr Geraint Ashton Jones has been selected for the elite Zurich Premiership Panel.

Though Geraint has already refereed a number of Zurich matches the selection gives him the opportunity to establish himself as a regular at the highest level.

Geraint spent his pre-season refereeing a couple of games in the Argentinean club championship.

“The trip was a perfect opportunity to referee a different style of rugby in a highly charged and competitive environment rather that the traditional pre season friendly,” he said.

“The Latin temperament certainly lends itself to some fiery encounters which fully tests your game management skills.”

Being a member of the Elite Referee Unit certainly takes up a great deal of time.

“Most people think of refereeing as just the 80 minutes of the match, but like the players there is a huge amount of preparation that goes on behind the scenes.

“Apart from keeping myself fit and attending three full days of fitness assessment each season, the Elite Unit meet regularly through the season for training sessions.

“This normally involves analysis of matches to ensure that we have a consistent view of decisions we should be making.”

With the meetings being held midweek in Coventry and other regional monthly meetings being held in London, it certainly adds up to a lot of travelling.

“The amount of travelling is one of the hardest parts of refereeing at the highest level,” he said.

“I am fortunate that through the Royal Navy Rugby Union’s sponsorship with Vauxhall I can travel in comfort, and with more than 20,000 miles covered each season, it is certainly appreciated.”

Geraint started his refereeing with the Navy in 1988.

His career has seen him progress to refereeing in the European Club Championship as well as refereeing age group internationals.

He has been fortunate to travel widely through his rugby, having taken appointments all over the world including New Zealand (twice) and South Africa.

The RNRU Referees are always looking for new members and anyone interested should contact the Training Officer, Cdr Baileff, on 07793 884230.