Sav's Sidelines: Australian referee’s timely reminder all is not bad
Sav's Sidelines - the weekly column that looks at Southland rugby, from the grassroots to the professional ranks.
In this week’s Sav’s Sidelines column we celebrate a Balfour Rugby Club milestone and also shine a positive light on a nice rugby referee’s story at a time when it is probably needed.
Australian visitor’s timely reminder all is not bad…
There’s been a fair bit of negativity floating around rugby in Southland in the past week or so concerning referees and the way, at times, they have been treated.
I’m not going to rehash it all. But as a matter of background, the Rugby Southland Referees Association took a stand, choosing not to send a referee to a Division One senior club fixture in Bluff on June 14.
Rugby Southland Referees Association chairman Andrew Rowland said the level of referee abuse in Southland had increased in 2025.
That was a timely reminder to everyone to zip it when it comes to the way officials are treated.
But I thought I should highlight that there are stories attached to refereeing that show it’s a volunteer pursuit that is rewarding.
Ryan Edkins is a referee from Mackay in Queensland, Australia who was visiting Invercargill at the weekend.
Former Otago referee Scott Taylor is now the Mackay District Rugby Union referee co-ordinator. Taylor reached out to the Rugby Southland Referees Association to say there was a referee, Ryan Edkins, visiting and he would be keen to officiate a match if needed.
Rugby Southland Referees took him up on that.
Edkins took hold of the whistle for the Division Two Otautau-Ohai-Nightcaps and Midlands clash at Holt Park in Otautau.
He told The Tribune he loved the opportunity to referee in Southland and was full of praise for the way he was treated at Otautau on Saturday.
“The players were great, the spectators were great. They were very welcoming,” Edkins said.
“I had about half a dozen spectators approach me to shake my hand and acknowledge how well the game was refereed for an open game of rugby.”
Edkins felt the Division Two game, which Midlands won 32-20, was probably on par with the level he officiated in Mackay, Queensland.
“The game was high tempo, high skilled, hard carries, and hard tackling.”
He is pleased he put his hand up to referee a game during his five-day visit to Southland.
Although he did point out the change in temperatures refereeing a Southland game tested him.
Edkins traditionally runs around with the whistle in temperatures around the 30-degree mark.
While sunny in Otautau on Saturday he was operating in single-digit temperatures.
“It’s a shock to the body”.
From Sevens to Ken Stewart; Balfour's big contribution
It’s been a big weekend for the town of Balfour in Northern Southland, which has a population of about 140.
The good folk at the Balfour Rugby Club celebrated its 125-year milestone. An impressive effort.
There are a few things that stand out for me when I think Balfour rugby.
One is sevens rugby.
For years, it felt like Balfour was the home of sevens rugby in Southland on the back of hosting a popular annual sevens tournament.
It would attract teams from far and wide.
As a tight-head prop, sevens didn’t suit my game. In fact, 15s didn’t really suit me either, if I’m brutally honest about my rugby ability.
I remember in the early 2000s when a group of us fatties, not wanting to sit back and simply watch the backs play sevens in Balfour, came up with a way which we thought would revolutionise sevens rugby. (Spoiler Alert: It didn’t).
We entered a team of tight forwards into the Balfour Sevens with the theory that we’d get hold of the ball, set up a rolling maul and march down the field against teams made up of backs who, on most normal Saturdays, avoided rucks and mauls.
That all came unstuck when we had to kick off and watch them run around us.
The results weren’t pretty, but the Balfour Rugby Club turned on a fine occasion as it always did.
Another thing - or in this case, person - that sticks out when I think Balfour rugby is Jeff Clearwater.
I can’t remember what I watched on TV on Friday night, but I can remember watching Clearwater playing in the loose forwards in a Stags jersey at Rugby Park in a 55-10 win over South Canterbury in 1998.
I looked it up, and Clearwater played just the two games for Southland. The other was in a 28-21 loss to Otago, also at Rugby Park in 1998.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but Clearwater was the last Balfour player to play for the Stags, wasn't he?
Clearwater is a legend of Southland Country rugby and in 2022 was awarded a life membership of the Balfour Rugby Club.
Not surprisingly Clearwater was right in amongst the organising of the 125th celebrations.
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The third thing (person) that springs to mind when I think of the Balfour Rugby Club is Ken Stewart - probably the club’s all-time best.
His playing days were before my time following the sport, but I’ve heard enough about Stewart to be aware of what a legend he is of Balfour, Southland, and New Zealand rugby.
Stewart played 55 games for the All Blacks from 1972 to 1981, 13 of them test matches.
He also played 73 games for Southland, which included a 12-11 victory over France in 1979.
The fact that Stewart’s nickname in the All Blacks was “Balfour” highlighted where the flanker’s loyalties lay at the grassroots level.
Of course, I’ve only scratched the surface regarding the role the Balfour club has played in Southland rugby over the past 125 years.
I’m sure everyone enjoyed a yarn and a brew over a special couple of days.
