Five Manawatū referees have been selected for New Zealand Rugby's new development referee programme. 

The programme sees the traditional High Performance squad disbanded in favour of a regional model which will allow more referees the exposure to development and training.

Stu Curran, Jacob Booth, Matt McEwen, Warrick Price, and Sam Couper have been selected in the the Hurricanes Region squad. 

Split along Super Rugby regional lines, the five squads will come together for three development workshops a year in their regions, with each group having leading coaches overseeing their programmes.

New Zealand Rugby’s High Performance Referee Manager Chris Pollock said the new model will lead to enhanced development of referees.

“In New Zealand we are fortunate to have several international referees across the men’s and women’s game, so giving our emerging referees the ability to learn and develop alongside some of the world’s best is a great opportunity.

“By broadening our reach, we can focus on development and education within the referee pathway both on field and for referee coaches as well. We believe these changes will contribute significantly to the growth and improvement of our overall system,” said Pollock.  

Article added: Tuesday 13 February 2024