Pollock man in middle as Lions tackle Wallabies

Rugby

Kiwi interest in the first rugby test between the British Lions and the Wallabies in Brisbane on Saturday has been heightened by Chris Pollock's appointment as match referee.

Pollock grew up in New Plymouth where, as an aggressive age-grade halfback, he was coached by Brett Gould, now living in Masterton and who is a senior partner in the law firm Logan Gold Walsh.

Going on to enter the teaching ranks, Pollock's playing days were cut short by injury, so he took up refereeing. In the late 1990s, he moved to Wellington, where he came under the guidance of Harry Quinn, these days a prominent administrator with the Wairarapa-Bush Rugby Referees Association. In 2011, Pollock was selected for the national referees squad.

Pollock's other connection with Wairarapa involved his appointment to that national squad, for it was Masterton's Bob Francis who first identified him as having the potential to make it to the top and, as a member of the New Zealand panel, had him as part of his management team.

Pollock is now ranked in the world's top 10.

Meanwhile, referees will be kept busy tomorrow with several representative and interschool matches being played.

The most notable appointment is that by the NZRFU regional panel of Wairarapa's Alistair Payne to control the match between Wairarapa-Bush and the United States Collegians side at Memorial Park.

Tomorrow's matches, with referees' appointments:

Representative: Wairarapa-Bush v United States Collegians, Memorial Park No 1, 2.30pm (A Payne; assistant refs, A Stringer and G Moorcock; subs, P Baucke and L Price; sideline manager, B Whale).

Interschool: Kuranui firsts v Makoura firsts, Memorial Park, 12.30pm (G Moorcock; V Peterson and B Stewart); Rathkeale firsts v Wanganui Collegiate, Rathkeale 1, 1pm (D Goodin; E Wallace and L Price); Rathkeale seconds v Wanganui Collegiate, Rathkeale 2, 10.15am (E Wallace); Rathkeale U15 v Wanganui Collegiate, Rathkeale 3 at 10.15am (L Price).