Texas Rugby Referee Association

Two of our referee's will be at 7s nationals this weekend! Huge congratulations to Kat Roche and Rachel Hill for the assignment! Any one wanting to watch them, please tune into the USAR YouTube channel to see them in action

Additionally, a few of our other referees will be there but in different roles such as coaches (Justin Hale and Mary Johnson) and as a player (Cortney Paschal). Good luck to all of them, and especially our two refs taking center stage!

L1 Courses and CMO course registration is open at the TRU Summit!

Looking for a reason to go to the Dallas/Fort Worth area and the Summit on August 29th & 30th, well we have 3 reasons. The TRU is kindly hosting not one but two L1 referee courses, these are the entry level courses needed to become a center referee for rugby. No prior rugby experience is required to take them either! Just ask Jackson (right), who took the course without prior playing experience.

But what is that 3rd reason? To answer that question, let me ask another, and that is who trains these refs, who helps them take the next steps where they are able to fine tune their craft and rise through the ranks? The answer to those questions is the CMOs, who devote their time to observing, provide feedback, and help all the refs land on their feet. Two fine example is Jon Savage (in photo) and Cesar Herrera. In order to become a CMO you need to also complete a course, which is conveniently at the Summit as well.

For more information on registering for these courses, please scan the QR code to the TRU website listings for all 3 of them for information on registration, certifications needed, prices, and more!

We hope to see you all out there

GOLDEN WHISTLE ALERT 2026!

If the rugby landscape on the Texas Gulf Coast were to have a king, chances are it would be Robert Hays, and that king has a new golden whistle to go with his throne. Robert Hays is a Texas Rugby giant, in terms of his lasting impact he has provided to the Texas Rugby scene with the Corpus Christi Crabs. Teams have come and gone, but the club has weathered the storm and stayed strong since he helped establish the club in 1973.

After giving 37 years to the crabs, Robert decided to get his L1 certification in 2010 so he can give back as a ref to other teams and has been one of our most consistent refs. Due to a combination of proximity and availability, he has ref'd numerous matches from Houston, San Antonio, Austin, McAllen, and everything else in between. He's even done this while coaching for the Crabs as well as sometimes still lacing it up the boots as a player on occasion. In addition to the golden whistle, Robert has previously been honored also by the TRU as an inductee into their Hall of Fame, which I think we all agree was well deserved.

Robert joins an ever growing list of TRRA golden whistle recipente which includes James Wolfinger, Wendy Young, Butch Neuenschwander, Scott Green, Ozzie Bayazitolgu, Shawn Martin, Greg Varnell, & last year's recipient Richard Prim Congrats Robert on the legacy and impact you've provided to our state and too all the past, present, and future Crabs & Referees you've impacted as well.

Fun Fact: Robert Hays took his L1 course in 2010 in San Marcos, TX with Scott Green, & Butch Newshwander making it probably the single most influential L1 course we've arguably seen in Texas.

As one journey ends, a new one begins. For the past month the TRRA has held nominations and elections for all 5 board member positions within the organization. The results of which were announced this past Saturday at our AGM shortly after BloodFest.
Two members continuing in their roles after running unopposed are Ross Davies as Chairman and Mary Johnson as Vice Chair.
While our 3 geographical Regions each have a new face as their respective representative. In the North and South, John DeHaven & Carlos Rivera begin their first stint on the board, while Jono Cooper begins his 2nd, but this time representing Central.

In addition to elections, the leadership of the TRRA also gains a valuable member in Rachel Hill. She will be serving as our newly created Director of Education and her remit will be spearheading webinars and education opportunities for all TRRA members as well as revamping our CMO process.

TRRA Board 2026-2027

Chairman: Ross Davies
Vice-Chair: Mary Johnson
Norther Rep: John DeHaven
Central Rep: Jono Cooper
Southern Rep: Carlos Rivera

Extended Leadership

Collegiate Representative: Justin Hale
Director of Education: Rachel Hill
Secretary & Social Media Manager: Christopher Pugh

Congratulations to all elected members and best of luck to everyone as we begin preparations for what we hope will be another memorable season!

If you tuned into the USAR Club finals from last weekend, you might have noticed something. Not one but TWO of our referees received Center assignments for the finals!

Congratulations to on refereeing a thrilling D1 Men's final & a special congrats to Johan Brits, who in a very short couple of years since joining the TRRA has risen up the national ranks to take the center for the Women's D2 Final! Take a bow you two, you've more than earned it & everyone, please give them a special congrats on the accomplishment!

The championships are this Saturday, and we want to congratulate all the referees who received assignments! If you’re in the Houston area, we encourage you to com out and support both the players and refs!

Location: Strake Jesuit High School
Address: 8900 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77036
Kickoff Time(s):
- Boys D2 @ 2PM
- Girls Tournament @ 3PM
- Boys D1 Club Championship @ 4 PM
- Boys D1 Varsity Cup Championship @ 6:30 PM

Good luck and congratulations to everyone!

The Collegiate Rugby of Association of America Championships take place this weekend up in Indianapolis, and our very own was chosen to represent USAR & the TRRA, centering and assisting in five total matches over the weekend! Not only that, but Jono was chosen to AR the D1A National Championship between the two powerhouse programs Navy & Cal!

Congrats Jono on the well deserved assignment, and good luck this weekend!

is hosting an L1 referee course, and registration for the event is open on Rugby Xplorer

When: Saturday May 16th
Time: 8 AM - 4:30 PM
Location: Dallas Jesuit
Address: 12345 Inwood Rd, Dallas, TX 75244

In order to access the USA Rugby Learning Center you need to get into your “My Profile” page in Rugby Xplorer. Once on your “My Profile” page, click on “Learning Center” from the left-hand menu. Click on the name of the person who is going to register for the course to enter the Learning Center. From there, click “Course Catalog” to see the available courses.

It’s RRRC Championship Day! Congrats to all the referees receiving assignments for today! Good luck up in Durant.

Some RT action on top on LoneStar Action as well, good luck to those refs as well as the rain starts coming in

Match Assignments 3/14

Spring break has led to a deserved weekend off for majority of the U-19 sides, but we are very close to the end of our RRRC season! Intense matchups incoming