Roche, Lucian Balance it All to Officiate at RWC
Roche, Lucian Balance it All to Officiate at RWC
With the Women's Rugby World Cup kicking off in 10 days it's worth remembering that, along with the USA national team, there are two other Americans participating.
Kat Roche will be a Referee and Assistant Referee (AR) while Amelia Luciano will be an AR.
Both have been at the top of the refereeing game in the USA for some time. Interestingly, they have pursued their refereeing dream in slightly different ways. Roche has essentially thrown everything into being a referee and being in rugby, putting other professional opportunities aside. Luciano, meanwhile, has a demanding day job that requires her to balance both sides. Either decision brings with it stress and various forms of sacrifice.
The two got a bit of a warmup when they were the ARs in the USA vs Canada test match in Ottawa. This is fairly uncommon in international rugby, to have an official that is not from a neutral country.
"Unfortunately in the USA and Canada, we don't have any other close countries with referees on the World Rugby panel, so every referee would have to be flown in from Europe or Oceania," Roche explained to GRR. "Then in turn, we wouldn't get as many opportunities because we'd have to fly long haul for every referee/AR gig. In places like France, it's really easy to get an impartial [Television Match Official #4], because your closest country is an hour flight away. Those referees can come in on a Friday, referee a match Saturday, and leave Sunday."
In that USA-Canada match the head referee was Ellie Goldsmith of Australia, while the TMO official was from Canada.
"I don't mind refereeing the USA because I don't see them much outside of matches," said Roche. "In other countries, referees work regularly with their national teams, training and being involved in classroom sessions etc. They know everyone by name and are friends with each other. In that case, I can see how it might be a bigger challenge to be impartial or be seen by the rugby community as favoritism. I honestly forget who is who once a game starts. There's so many things going through my head that I won't remember who the home team is until I call something and get a massive boo from the crowd and I'm like: 'oh... right.'"
Now, of course the plan for the World Cup is different.
Lucian will be an AR for the following game:
Australia vs Samoa August 23
Ireland vs Japan August 24
Scotland vs Fiji August 30
Italy vs South Africa August 31
England vs Australia September 6
New Zealand vs Ireland September 7
For Roche, she will referee Ireland vs Spain on August 31 and Wales vs Fiji on September 6, while she will also be an AR for Canada vs Fiji on August 23 and New Zealand vs Spain on August 24.
The Preparation
There is a ton of work to be done before the matches begin.
"Since World Cup selections, we have been given physical training plans that incorporate interval sessions, referee footwork/movement drills, weight training, and mobility," said Luciano. "We attended a several-day camp in Faro, Portugal and have had online training sessions covering technical aspects of refereeing, law, sports psychology, and team building. Additionally, we have just completed our warmup games which were reviewed so we can incorporate any feedback for last-minute improvements before the tournament."
"There is so much prep that goes into refereeing in general, from trainings to law knowledge to best practices," added Roche. "Building into a Rugby World Cup year it's really been about getting all the referees on the same page and making sure we are approaching this tournament with consistent decision making in critical moments. Being in each other's pockets for up to seven weeks is a LOT of time, particularly for a group of people who are used to being on the road alone. We've put a lot of work into team dynamics and have plans in place for when there are disagreements in the group or games don't go to plan. And that's obviously all on top of an individual referee's preparation which includes fitness, positioning, you name it."
Then, of course, there's the game prep, sometimes working with fellow referees that are relatively strangers. However, both referees pointed out that referee assignments from World Rugby the last few years have been designed to help promote the international referee pool.
"We have spent weeks with these other match officials prior to the World Cup this year, at 6 Nations and pre-WC camps, and we arrive to the World Cup a week before the matches start for even more team-building," explained Luciano. "Though we all know each other at this point, we have even more team building exercises on the coming weeks to ensure even better connection during World Cup matches."
"Our schedule is pretty packed and organized the entire tournament," added Roche. "We go from the match, travel home, do the review, individually then as a team. We've got team trainings both on-field and in the gym; we've got classroom sessions where we have interesting clips or things we need to align on as a group, as well as organized team building. This Rugby World Cup group has been building since 2023, similar to any team participating, so we've all got some sort of familiarity with each other even if we haven't worked directly with each other. "
And if some members of an officiating team don't know each other, "we have a certain set of standards, our playbook, that we all work hard to adhere to on-field," said Roche. "This allows us to have a more uniform approach of what the TO5 is expected to provide to support the referee as well as the referees having their standards that every referee is expected to deliver. Naturally you work better with people you have before, so every match I'm on has at least two members of the team I've refereed with before, but there's no one in the group that I would not feel comfortable having with me out there."
That Balance
Luciano works as a cancer researcher and she has had to use vacation time and log some extra hours to earn some leave to work the World Cup. Even so, she is still working, checking in with her research team and making sure things continue to progress at work.
"The balance between life and rugby takes genuine communication, time management, and honesty about what I can and can't do," Luciano explained. "It's tough, but I do it because I love the game and the opportunities refereeing brings. I have supportive family and friends inside and outside of rugby—shoutout to my VP of New England Rugby Referees Geoff Tancredi for filling in while I'm away!. They keep me grounded and understand that my refereeing means sacrificing presence at some important life events. They understand this is one of my life goals and make me feel cared for even if I can't be there in person as much as I'd want to be."
On the positive side, Luciano's sister and her family lives in England, so she will see some family to support her.
Roche's approach has been different.
Travel and time away from home is her biggest challenge as a ref. She has put a non-rugby career on hold to pursue her dream, and it is a struggle.
"No one in the US is willing to hire someone who is gone up to 15 weeks a year in different countries," said Roche. "I couldn't even keep my job at a coffee shop because I'm not reliably at home enough. That's been really hard for me. Sure I'm out doing cool things, but I've got no backup if I were to get injured or my refereeing went to shit. And when there's no rugby on, I'm not getting paid."
The joke for players, coaches, and referees is you need a rich partner to finance it. That's certainly true for many.
"I have hopes that I can be part of the difference in creating a contract role for referees in the US so we can appropriately support individuals chasing this dream," Roche added. "The USA women received part-time contracts this year, so I'm hoping that someone somewhere is seeing the value that referees performing at the international level holds and is pushing to provide those individuals with some financial support as well."
But it's not just about financial issues. It's also about the other aspects of life.
"The other part of the travel is putting life at home on hold," said Roche. "I am really lucky to have a supportive partner and family/friend group who understands and cheers me on in everything I do. You miss a lot when you're constantly traveling for work and you quickly become an unreliable friend who stops getting invites or calls from people who need you. This can lead to isolation whether you're away or at home. It's certainly not going to be easy, but it's part of the job.
At the World Cup referees have physical and mental support staff available to help the officials through the tough times—and certainly there will be moments when something happens for an official in their personal life that means they need some help.
The Excitement
"I really never though I would get to the World Cup, so I'm excited for any assignment," said Lucian. But, she added, "my last pool-play game as an AR is Ireland versus NZ. I'm really excited for what promises to be an electric environment and a heated contest between Ireland, who has been improving over the last few years, and NZ, who is a perennial powerhouse."
Referees of course know when they're working a big game. But they also, like the athletes, can't look past any game.
"Life is unpredictable and anything can happen out there, so the assignment I'm looking forward to the most is always my next one," said Roche. "First up, Canada versus Fiji as an AR. Whatever comes next comes next. You've got to enjoy the moment because you never know what the future holds."
