Greensmith Takes Charge Of Schools Fixture

With the first round of the Munster Schools Senior and Junior Cup kicking off next week we catch up with Referee Amanda Greensmith who will officiate her first Schools match in Rosbrien, Limerick when the St. Clement’s College junior side host PBC.

A native of Ballyhea, Co. Cork, Greensmith started her rugby career at Charleville RFC aged 19 where she spent two seasons before joining Limerick club Shannon RFC.

In her second year playing rugby, the fullback was selected on the Munster Women’s Senior squad in 1999 and during the twelve years spent representing her province, claimed an impressive ten Interprovincial titles. She went on to represent Ireland from 2002 to 2007 winning over 20 caps for her country.

Since April 2010 Greensmith has been employed as Women’s Community Rugby Officer with Munster Rugby and following retirement from her playing career took up refereeing in January 2015.

“Two years after my retirement from rugby I went back to college part time to study Sports Massage Therapy and Injury Management”, explained Greensmith. “That was keeping me busy but once I finished the course I decided I wanted to get back involved with rugby in some way. The Munster Association Of Referees (M.A.R.) were launching a recruitment campaign at the time so I decided to give it a go.”

“I completed the M.A.R. refereeing course last January 2015 and have been refereeing ever since – generally schools friendlies during the week and club games at the weekend.”

With reference to her referee development process Amanda said she has received phenomenal support from the M.A.R. and is looking forward to her first Munster Schools Cup fixture on Wednesday, 20th January when St. Clements College host PBC in the Munster Junior Cup.

“I have undergone continuous assessments all the way through my refereeing development and the M.A.R. have been very supportive throughout my learning pathway. Although you have a good understanding of the laws of the game from a player point of view there is a lot more to learn in terms of techniques that will allow you to get yourself into good positions to make the right decision.

“It’s been great receiving the support from the assessors and by providing reports on your performance which has been a great help – the feedback is important for you to work on from match to match and continuously improve and develop yourself.”

Greensmith is one of two females selected to referee the Munster Schools Cup fixtures. Her former Munster and Ireland colleague Joy Neville will take charge of the Ardscoil Rís/St. Munchin’s Senior Cup match, in what is her second year officiating the Munster Schools competition.

“Joy set the benchmark for women refereeing in the Munster Schools competition and did a great job last season. She has since gone on to referee the men’s All Ireland League.”

As the women’s game continues to go from strength to strength off the back of Ireland’s 6 Nations triumph in 2013, Greensmith said more and more females are getting involved in rugby refereeing, especially past players who want to stay in the sport and maintain their fitness.

“If you have played the game and have a good knowledge of rugby it’s a great way to remain involved. The beauty of refereeing is you can manage your own time to train instead of being in a group with a set schedule. You can coordinate your training during the week ahead of your fixtures to ensure your fitness.

“It’s a great way of staying involved in sport. Not everyone would like to be a coach so refereeing is a great alternative.

“For those who are just beginning or for those who have climbed through the ranks there is a lot of support out there. The M.A.R. give you every opportunity to push on with your development and provide ongoing workshops to keep you updated.

“Truthfully, I haven’t decided yet where I would like my refereeing career to go from here. For now I’m just taking it one season at a time. I just want to enjoy refereeing, consistently put in a good performance and see where it takes me.”

For information on becoming a referee visit www.mar.ie

Munster Schools Senior Cup Referee Appointments

Crescent College College v Christian Brothers College – Tommy O’Donoghue
St. Clement’s College v Presentation Brothers College – Richard Horgan
Glenstal Abbey School v Castletroy College – Shane Kierans
Rockwell College v Bandon Grammar School – Robert O’Sullivan
Ardscoil Rís v St. Munchin’s College – Joy Neville

Munster Schools Junior Cup Referee Appointments

Crescent College College v Christian Brothers College – Aidan McInerney
St. Clement’s College v Presentation Brothers College – Amanda Greensmith
Glenstal Abbey School v Castletroy College – John Adams
Rockwell College v Bandon Grammar School – Patrick Ryan
Ardscoil Rís v St. Munchin’s College – Michael Doyle