Rugby: Ref Syd still happily blowing strong at 70

Syd Longley has given a lifetime's dedication to coaching and refereeing rugby and at the age of 70 has no plans to hang up his whistle just yet.

The Mount Maunganui man tends to referee under-15 age group teams these days but has spent many years in charge of senior matches. Last month he had to fill in for most of the second half of the senior game between Judea and Arataki after the match referee pulled a muscle, and by all accounts did a fine job.

"Look, I probably love it more now than I ever have," Longley said.

"Most of my refereeing has been about kids, as I find that more enjoyable than seniors. They listen! I enjoy doing the secondary-school girls and they listen to what you are trying to encourage them to play.

"I started getting involved in rugby back in 1965-66 and started refereeing in central Hawke's Bay, then we shifted back up north to Whangarei, where I refereed for a number of years.

"I became a board member of the North Auckland Rugby Union as it was known then, and I coached Old Boys and Kerikeri under-19s and then went on to manage the Northland under-16s for a number of years before I took over as coach. We won the Winston Trophy by beating Auckland in the final - I thought that was a great achievement for me."

In those junior teams up north were some players who became household names.

"I was the first person to ever select Eric Rush for a rep team, when I put him in the Northland under-16 team. Look where he went from there.

"Robin Brooke was in my Northland under-16 team, Warren Johnston was a Maori All Black and Zinzan Brooke. Zinzan was very athletic but he was a prop at Northland under-16, under-18 and secondary schools levels. He then shifted down to Auckland and went to his first training with Marist and saw these huge fullas in the front row and thought 'I'm not playing there' so he became a No8."

Longley shifted to Mount Maunganui in 1991 and became involved with the Arataki Rugby Club. He has been with them ever since.

"I have been on the Western Bay boards for many years but have retired now."

Fitness is a key factor in Longley's longevity as a referee and it is a central part of his life.

"I go to the gym every day when I'm not working. It is very much important that you keep yourself very fit, especially as you get older."