Building the Bay’s Referee Culture with RMG Chair David Hodgson (Ep 15)

This week on the Bay of Plenty Referee Podcast, Sam and Jamie are joined by David Hodgson, Chair of the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union Referee Management Group.David has been involved in Bay of Plenty refereeing since 2004 and has chaired the RMG since 2015. In this episode, he talks about why he first picked up the whistle, his highlights from more than two decades in the game, and what really happens behind the scenes to keep refereeing running across a large and diverse region. He also shares his reflections on referee culture, the importance of club connections, developing young officials, and why the Bay continues to be held in high regard across the wider refereeing community.Sam and Jamie also recap a big weekend across the Bay, including multiple referees backing up across several games, the latest education session on the tactical side of lineouts, and the ongoing need to support new referees without throwing them in too deep too soon. The team also covers World Rugby’s approval of the lower legal tackle height in community rugby, Georgia U20’s historic win over New Zealand U20, Taranaki’s recent referee recruitment and storytelling work, and details for the upcoming Bay of Plenty Rugby Referee Awards evening.The episode finishes with Whistler of the Week, awarded to Dan Rolls for a massive weekend of service across Friday, Saturday and Sunday, including picking up an extra flag when needed.Rugby and referee news mentionedWorld Rugby: Lower legal tackle height approved for community rugbyhttps://www.world.rugby/news/996977World Rugby: Lower tackle height trial extended to the World Rugby U20 Championship 2026https://www.world.rugby/news/1019790/lower-tackle-height-trial-extended-to-world-rugby-u20-championship-2026RugbyPass: Georgia U20 defeat New Zealand U20 22–19https://www.rugbypass.com/news/georgia-make-rugby-history-at-expense-of-giants-of-the-sport/World Rugby: World Rugby U20 Championship 2026 pools and fixtureshttps://www.world.rugby/u20/en/poolsTaranaki referee storiesTaranaki referee short documentary / recruitment video mentioned by Sam:https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BHjLx9wzb/Seven Sharp / young Taranaki referee story mentioned by Sam:https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18i8Lx42EP/Bay of Plenty linksBay of Plenty Rugby Union: Referee Management Grouphttps://www.boprugby.co.nz/rmgBay of Plenty Rugby Union: David Hodgson Trophyhttps://www.boprugby.co.nz/david-hodgson-trophy