Today, I'm joined by Natarsha Ganley from New Zealand to chat about her rise from newbie to Rugby World Cup referee.

We chat about her starting story, her new day job, her referee career to date, overcoming injury at a crucial point in the selection cycle, and her RWC experiences. We also chat about what's next, including how she's heading north for three months in 2026 to gain refereeing experience in England's PWR league.

If you have any comments about this episode, or suggestions for future shows, then drop me a line at ref@rugbyreferee.net!

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Or you can connect with Keith personally on Twitter or LinkedIn

Today, we're joined by Jonny Cartwright, who you may know as The_Bald_Ref on Instagram. He's just been recognised as Loosehead Of the Year 2025 at the Looseheadz Community Awards.

We talk about:

• Jonny's journey from coach to referee
• How he develops referees in his role as T&D lead in Manchester & District Referees (MADRefs)
• How Looseheadz is and how he got into supporting them (trigger warning)
• #WaffleWednesday
• His officiating at the World Record rugby matches in Ireland earlier in 2025
• How he got into trouble for calling out clubs on Instagram when they fail to respect referees
• The effect that has on referee resilience and mental health of match officials

Resources & Links:

• Jonny on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/the_bald_ref/
• LooseHeadz: https://looseheadz.co.uk/
• LH help and support: https://looseheadz.co.uk/help-and-support/
• Previous episodes covering mental health and resilience subjects in rugby and refereeing - Nick Marshall and Tim Wyatt

If you have any comments about this episode, or suggestions for future shows, then drop me a line at ref@rugbyreferee.net!

You can follow us here:

Instagram: RugbyRefereenet

Facebook: Page: RugbyReferee.net

Facebook Group: RugbyReferee.net Community

Or you can connect with Keith personally on Twitter or LinkedIn

Hi, it's Keith here and after numerous prods from you, dear listeners, it was time to get the recording device out once again.

Bit of a catch up on a few things in today's episode:

• Women's RWC match officiating
• Refereeing a foul play scenario after a try
• Charging down a Try Line Drop out
• Refereeing the new open play pod lift
• A tricky situation for me with a piece of player equipment

Relevant links:

RugbyReferee.net Open play pod lift article

World Rugby approved devices list

Rezon Halos - may well be a great product but not approved for use in matches yet - see their FAQ page

If you have any comments about this episode, or suggestions for future shows, then drop me a line at ref@rugbyreferee.net!

You can follow us here:

Instagram: RugbyRefereenet

Facebook: Page: RugbyReferee.net

Facebook Group: RugbyReferee.net Community

Or you can connect with Keith personally on Twitter or LinkedIn