100 first-class matches and counting for referee Mike Fraser

Above: Mike Fraser refereeing the first of his three Jubilee Cup finals, the 2008 one between Northern United and Marist St Pat's. In bitterly cold conditions that day, the teams battled to a 10-10 draw and the Cup was shared. 

Mike Fraser is one of the Wellington Rugby Referee Associations highest-achieving referees, having been part of the Level 1/Premier panel for many years, and is currently one of NZ Rugby’s full-time professional referees. His refereeing career, which now includes more than 100 First-class matches, has taken him to all parts of the world though he still makes occasional appearances in Wellington club matches.

You recently brought up your 100th First class game (Sunwolves v Rebels in Tokyo), can you remember your first? (where, when, who, score etc)

Well my 100th was certainly quite different to my first which was the traditional Queen’s Birthday weekend game between Poverty Bay and East Coast in 2007. It was played in Gisborne at Rugby Park and I believe Poverty Bay won that day. Other than that I can’t remember too many details from the game but do remember I was watched on that game by a national selector so can’t have been too bad as it was after that I came into the national squad later that year.

What, or who, got you into refereeing in the first place?

I hadn’t thought about refereeing until my last year at Massey University in Palmerston North when I was 20. Up until then I’d played low level rugby at New Plymouth Boys High and then socially at Massey, but a recurring shoulder injury (and lack of ability) meant I needed to look at other options to stay involved in the game I enjoyed so much. I had a friend who was a referee in Manawatu so he suggested I get involved and from there the rest is history as they say. I really enjoyed that first year in Manawatu and always say they gave me a really good start with basic understanding of the laws and refereeing 101.

I guess your other ‘firsts’ include your very first game of rugby and your first Premier game. Looking back now how did you approach them?

My first ever game of rugby I refereed was in Manawatu and was played on a half field so they must have been young kids. As we’ve all experienced when you first start refereeing there are a lot of things you don't really think about until you actually need to do it so that game was just about getting use to running around and blowing the whistle. My first premier game of rugby was actually in the Bay of Plenty when I was working in Rotorua. I only did the one there before moving to Wellington but do remember being told of my appointment on Monday night which was also followed with the standard referee advice……”don't f*#k it up!”

My first Premier game in Wellington came a year or two later and was between Wests and Ories at “the cage”. I remember the excitement of the appointment but also the nerves beforehand. I remember Gary Jackson and Alan Mettrick (part of the WRRA premier promotions panel) watching from up on the hill, deciding whether I had what it took to be a regular in the Premier ranks and thankfully they saw enough that day to give me another.

Is there someone within the refereeing ranks that you look up to or try and mould your approach to theirs?

I wouldn't say I have a strong affinity to one referee but do try to pick and choose the good bits from a number of referees and bring those into my game. Over the years I’ve learnt that the best thing you can do is stay true to your own style. When you try and replicate someone else you become to artificial and think referees have more success staying natural and true to what they’re comfortable doing.

You’ve refereed three Jubilee Cup finals. How did you prepare for the biggest game of the club year, and what are your memories of those?

The first one I was very nervous about and felt the pressure of making sure I performed on the pinnacle of the club rugby year. I also felt very honoured and privileged to get these three appointments and join the list of some very fine referees who have refereed previous Jubilee Cup finals. As with any game the key is to stay true to what’s worked for you throughout the year so I tried to stick to that mantra and referee how I’d done throughout the season which had been good enough to get me the appointment. I do however think you need to acknowledge the occasion in your preparation so that you aren’t over awed by it but can also enjoy it which is a special one in your referee career.

I have a couple of strong memories around these finals and they largely revolve around the weather. The infamous 10-all draw played at the stadium in 2008, which saw a shared title for the first time, is probably one of the coldest games I ever refereed and remember starting to shiver towards the end. The other one in 2011 played at the Petone Rec which Ories won after a long drought was really a game of two halves in regards to the weather. The first half was played in bright sunshine but as we came back out to the field to start the second half the temperature had dropped by about 8 degrees and we were now playing in hail.

You did a season refereeing on the Sevens World Series. How was that experience?

My sevens experience was a really good one, all be it quite different to the environment now. The game has come a long way since my time on the circuit back in 2010 when it was part of the development of a referee as you came through where now it’s all most a path on its own and the level of referee required is certainly a lot higher. I was lucky enough to do four tournaments on the series as well as the Commonwealth games in India which was a fantastic experience.

You’ve been a professional referee since 2014. How has been managing the travel and balancing the rest of your life away from the game?

I was fortunate enough to go full time in 2014 and up until that point it really was a case of juggling all of the commitments I had in my life. My job prior to going full time involved a lot of travel and combined with rugby travel, which only increased as I reached the higher levels, often took me away on weekends and longer. It wasn't an easy period and especially so when children came into the mix but it did teach me a lot about time management and ensuring you focused on the things that mattered. I think it’s important to have some balance in your life away from rugby so since going full time I’ve started a graduate diploma in finance which I complete one paper a semester and helps take my away from rugby.

Whats your process for preparing for a Super Rugby or NPC game?

This has probably changed over the years where early on I would spend a lot of time trying to understand what teams did and what sort of game that might present. Now a large part of my focus is about me and what do I need to do to get myself in the best possible position to ensure I put a top performance on the park. I still look at teams but nowhere near as much as I used to. I think you have to trust what works for you and through that allows you to focus on what matters and hopefully deliver consistent performances from game to game.

How has the game changed in the time you’ve been involved with it?

I actually think the game is in a pretty good place and come a long way since my first taste of first class rugby in 2007. There’s obviously a fair bit of discussion about law changes and trials but I think it’s often down to team attitudes and if that’s right then there’s not a lot wrong with the laws and we have a great product. Safety is a big focus across all levels of the game so fully understand the drive to improve that and the necessary changes required to improve this. Obviously the use of technology is continuing to evolve and I’m sure it will continue to in the years to come.

What was it like being part of the last Rugby World Cup?

An amazing experience! I still remember getting the call from Joel Jutge confirming my selection and is obviously up there as one of the real career highlights. The referee team had been working closely together for 18 months to 2 years leading up to the event and a big focus of that time was building a team environment so getting to London was really the final step in that process. It was quite a surreal experience being part of it all and running out to a packed Millennium Stadium for my first game between Ireland and Canada with my countryman Glen Jackson in the middle was something pretty special.

What’s been the greatest thing you’ve gotten out of the game?

It has to be the experiences I’ve been lucky enough to have and people I’ve meet on my travels. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit numerous places around NZ and the world that I would probably never have got to had it not been for rugby.

What advice would you give to a new or aspiring referee?

Like I mentioned earlier I think it’s important to stay true to your own style. You don't have to be exactly the same as someone you see on TV and believe it’s more about bringing in the parts of their game you like into your own while still maintaining your own style. The other thing would be not trying to change or do too many new things at once. Pick one or two things you want to improve in your game and work on those across a few games before moving onto something else. If you try and focus on too much you get lost and can often end up going backwards.