REFEREES
31
Trophy - 2011
The “31 Trophy” is awarded by the members of the Referees Society
to the team that they feel best exemplifies the spirit of the game, and whilst
normally it goes to one of the sides participating in the leagues, this year the
referees have decided to pay tribute to a team of players that have been
tremendous ambassadors for Hong Kong rugby here and abroad over the past few
seasons. When Hong Kong hosted the World Fire Fighters Games in 2006 the Union
was approached by a few enthusiastic firemen who wanted to enter a team in the
rugby 7s competition – this little group, most of whom had never played before
in their lives, gave it their all, and although they only scored 1 try in the
whole tournament and finished last, they impressed all the visiting teams with
their enthusiasm, their friendliness and their spirit. Two years later they
travelled to Liverpool for the next Fire Fighters Games, and this time their
performance on the field had improved noticeably, with a 5th place
finish overall. Last August the tournament was in Korea, and this time the Hong
Kong firemen defeated sides from
Italy, England and South Africa on their way to the bronze medal, a fantastic
achievement of which they can all be very proud. They can be equally proud,
however, that along the way they have retained the spirit, attitude and humour
that first marked them out 6 years ago, and it is for this reason that I’d like
to ask John to present this year’s 31 Trophy to –
Hong Kong Fire Services!
Referee of the Year
2011
The first of our
individual awards goes to the Referee of the Year. It has been another landmark
year for this young lady – she started the season by being appointed to
officiate at the Women’s XVs Rugby World Cup, a huge honour in itself, and then
in November was given the Women’s Gold Medal Final at the Asian Games in
Guangzhou. To cap it all though, the IRB has recently announced the names of
the first ever women’s international referee panel, the 8 top female officials
in the world, and on that list is the winner of the 2010/11 Referee of the Year
Award,
Gabriel Lee!