Rule changes will add spice to mix as North seniors head into battle

Northland referee education officer Kyal Collins hopes Northland's players and coaching staff have already got a feel for the new rugby rule interpretations  before senior rugby kicks off this weekend.
He said the biggest change this year - but not the only one - was a change of emphasis around the tackle ball rule.
"In the past the tackler has been able to pivot on the ball carrier and get themselves in a position to play the ball but that's changed and now they have to release the ball carrier - completely - get to their feet and then attack the ball and that will take longer than it has in previous years," he said.
Tacklers will no longer be as dominant when they're attacking the ball and responsibility on where they fall when they tackle someone will be clearly placed upon them.
"If they fall on the opposition side and stop the ball being used, then they are liable to be penalised.
"It's not the ball-carrying team's fault that they have got in the wrong position and I think that the challenge for our referees is to be a little bit hard in the first couple of weeks until the players get used to it."
The change in interpretation means the ball should be able to be recycled faster by the ball-carrying team - something that has already become apparent in the early rounds of the Super-14.
"It may take a little time to bed in but I think the players and the coaches are seeing the right pictures on TV at the moment and I've challenged Northland referees, at our field day, to carry on what the high performance referees are doing in the Super-14," he said.
Collins is employed as Northland's chief referee recruiter and educator - a tough job  because of the size of the region.
"Because we're so vast, we actually meet in sub-union groups, either weekly and fortnightly, and it's my job to come up with training programmes to help develop referees and referee coaches," he said.
In the past, most referees have been former players but in recent years the referees have tried recruiting among the younger age groups to keep their numbers up.
"We run 'You Make The Call' courses at local high schools and the students can earn NZCEA credits after attending a four-day course and that means we've had more interest from the younger age-group," he said.
Anyone interested in refereeing rugby can contact Collins through the Northland Rugby Union or Kyal.C@northlandrugby.co.nz