Referee profile: Ohira enjoying stint in New Zealand

Astute observers would have noticed a very distinctive face amongst the refereeing ranks this year in Japanese referee Noboru Ohira.

Japanese referees are not unusual to Wellington. For many years the Wellington Rugby Referees Association has operated an interchange program that sees two referees spend two weeks in and around Wellington mid-season, with two WRRA members making the return trip to Sugadaira in central Japan later in the year. In addition the past two seasons have also seen Akihisa Aso take charge of Jubilee and Hardham Cup games as well as Heartland and ITM Cup matches as part of an IRB development program.

Hailing from Tokyo and aged just 21 Noboru is the youngest person refereeing in the Senior 1 and 2 grades this year.

Club Rugby sat down with Noboru to find out a bit more about him.

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What is your rugby background; did you play rugby growing up? I played during most of my high school years, usually as an openside flanker.

What is your earliest memory of playing or watching rugby: I think I was about 5 years old watching a game at home with my father.

How and why did you start refereeing? Towards the end of high school I injured my back. I wanted to stay involved in the game and taking up refereeing up was a way to do that.

What is your refereeing background in Japan? This is my fourth year refereeing. At home I've refereed school, university, and company matches, which are like club games here.

Why and how did you get to come to NZ and to Wellington to referee? I came to New Zealand to improve my refereeing skills and the New Zealand-style of rugby; and also to study and improve my English and a different culture.

How long have you been in NZ and how long are you staying? I arrived in New Zealand at the start of March and will be here until the end of August

What have you learnt about NZ rugby since you have been here to take home; what's different about refereeing in NZ than Japan or other places you've refereed? The styles are very different. Japanese rugby has a lot of planned structure, but here it is more free-flowing. The rugby here is also a lot more physical at the breakdown, there isn't a fight like that in Japan. And most of the players are much bigger here.

Is there a difficult rule to interpret and are there any rules you'd change if you were the rugby lawmaker?? I think there are too many laws around the tackle, and sometimes the tackler is dominant and has to give that up. Also players, coaches and spectators talk much more about the rules here than in Japan.

What else have you been doing in NZ? I'm studying English at Victoria University, and trying when I can to see some of the country.

What are your long-term refereeing goals; do you want to go far and referee international matches? I want to be a top referee in Japan, to referee in the Japan Top League competition; and I want to be involved in the Rugby World Cup in 2019 as an Assistant Referee. I would like to become a referee who protects the safety of players, is fair and has the trust of all players. Also ideally someone who everyone forgets who was the referee after the game.

What professional competitions do you follow and who are your favourite teams and players? I keep up to date with Super Rugby and the Heineken Cup. The Hurricanes are my favourite team, and favourite players are Schalk Burger and Heinrich Brossouw because they play flanker like I did.

Do have any pre-game rituals or superstitions before you take the field? I listen to music and put my boots on really slowly. The last thing I do before going onto the field is brush my shoulders.

After a busy day on the rugby field, what's your signature dish? I like to eat lamb, but my favourite to cook is a Japanese dish with pork and Ramen noodles.

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