Holst, a farm cadet at Waipaoa Station, north of Te Karaka, is in his second year refereeing in Poverty Bay.
He will referee the knockout semifinal between High School Old Boys and Waikohu on Saturday.
The former halfback said refereeing was a good way to still be part of the game and get a good view of it.
Refereeing was becoming more instinctive for him.
“The more you do it, the better you get at it,” he said.
Poverty Bay referees attend training sessions on Monday nights at MoreFM Rugby Park, where they get a fitness workout.
They also watch footage of their games and go over the rules.
“It’s all about improving.”
Holst said communicating with players and managing the game were skills he was working on.
He was aware that spectators sometimes wouldn’t like his decisions and might “fire up”.
“I used to do that, too,” he said.
He would “block it out, to a certain extent” or try to “reset” after making a mistake.
The Hurricanes Youth Rugby Council was formed in 2006 as the body to administer representative rugby across the eight provincial unions making up the Hurricanes region.
The council manages tournaments and competitions for the under-15, u16, u18, u19 and u20 age groups, and works with schools.
Holst said he wanted to take his refereeing to another level.
“I watch the professionals on TV and try to do what they do.”
He encouraged other people to give refereeing a try.
