Goodbye JP...

[MarleyWasp]

From The Times:

RFU makes referee JP Doyle redundant

Owen Slot, Chief Rugby Correspondent
Thursday August 20 2020, 12.01am, The Times

The latest round of financial cuts at the RFU has hit the referees’ department with JP Doyle being made redundant.

Doyle, 41, has been refereeing in the Premiership since 2006. He has officiated at international matches including at the 2015 World Cup.

His departure is a reflection of the extreme situation faced at Twickenham, where the beleaguered union is facing losses of up to £107 million and where sweeping job cuts are expected to put 139 employees out of work.

Doyle was one of the RFU’s elite group of ten full-time referees. The referees were all informed of a pending round of redundancy and that all of their jobs were at risk. The Irishman was informed last week that he was to be made redundant, though he then had the right to appeal.

Doyle had served many years as an elite referee and was at the senior end of the group. Only Wayne Barnes is older than him, by a few months, but Barnes is still considered one of the leading referees in the world.

Barnes will miss the second round of Premiership games this weekend having had to quarantine himself after a family holiday in Mallorca.

[baldpaul101]

tell me this is really true? If so, this is the best news rugby has had all season. Good riddance to the worst ref in England.


while I do feel sorry for him at a personal level, I'm sure he has an original career to fall back, hopefully he's better at whatever that was than he is as ref, he's been stealing a wage from the RFU for years!

[Shugs]

Looks convenient for me. Using the financials to justify what they want to do.

[MarleyWasp]

I'm told his assessment score for his performance at our season opener against London Irish was the lowest score any ref had received under the current system. I can't recall seeing him named as a referee since the RWC ended and we got all our refs back. Hardly surprising he was top of the list to go. I expect he was probably one of the more expensive refs too given how long he's been ruining reffing Premiership matches.

I'm sure he'll pop up in the Pro 14. He's good mates apparently with Greg the Guess Garner, who is in charge of Pro 14 officials.

[baldpaul101]

It would be nice if the process designed to improve official's performance had actually picked up up the fact that he's shockingly bad, but quite frankly I don't care. As long as he's gone, that's all that matters!!

[St Bruno]

MarleyWasp,
I don't suppose you've got any corresponding numbers for Luke Pearce, do you?
I think he's an appalling ref too.

[MarleyWasp]

No idea sadly on Pearce. I was just told that in passing when discussing poor referees with someone in the know during the course of the season.

[Brandnewtorugby]

He has served the game for many years and deserves a little respect for that. I hope he finds something else soon, and wish him well.

[RogerE]

+1

[Neils]

+1

[Hymenoptera]

Old saying that you earn respect.

Turning up at the office, putting your feet up, letting the phone ring while stuffing another Ginsters into you pie hole...serving your employer by turning up isn't enough.

Good luck to him for sure but I suspect his selection wasn't a lucky dip.

[baldpaul101]

No, sorry, I don't have any respect for him. He's been an incompetent referee for a few years now and should have been demoted or helped to improve by now.

I will add that on the whole I do not believe in slagging off referees, its a VERY difficult job, I know, I have tried it at a very low level!!
I generally believe that referee mistakes will not affect the outcome of most games & very rarely a season. No team get relegated because of a single referee call for example.
And without referees you can't have a game.

I do however make an exception for JP Doyle, he is was that bad & given he has all the tools & support from the RFU to improve or get back to the level he was once at, its pretty poor that he hasn't managed it.

[Neils]

From my memory he didn't start off bad. He was considered one of the newer breed of professional referees. He was always polite whenever I came across him. Actually seemed a nice guy. Whist I agree in recent years if I had a 12 bore shotgun I would have used both barrels on him it is somebody losing their job/livelihood due ineptitude by the RFU. For that I have sympathy with him.

[Heathen]

You are not alone. I always remember being told that after an A team game in London, a certain referee and his sidekick, the aforementioned redundant one were well oiled in the bar afterwards. The former called Wasps a load of Cs and hoped that we got relegated. I think it does not take much to work out it was.

[Hymenoptera]

From my memory he didn't start off bad. He was considered one of the newer breed of professional referees. He was always polite whenever I came across him. Actually seemed a nice guy. Whist I agree in recent years if I had a 12 bore shotgun I would have used both barrels on him it is somebody losing their job/livelihood due ineptitude by the RFU. For that I have sympathy with him.

I agree with most of that Neils except the last bit. I suspect he lost his job because of his performances, not the RFU. The RFU losing a shed loads of money is no different from nearly every other business, my employer included. Could they spend their money better..probably, but you could say that about most businesses in the same money losing boat.
As many of my colleagues found out recently, had they put the Ginsters to one side and answered the phone, they might not be at home watching Netflix.
On a human level, sure i feel for him, but you get out what you put in.