Bay of Plenty Referees Podcast is your weekly, local look at rugby refereeing in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. We wrap education session takeaways, appointments and match official news, plus a quick‑fire chats with BoP referees from club footy and sevens to women’s rugby, NPC and Super Rugby. Expect clear law clarifications, refereeing tips and game management insights with a bit of club banter. New episodes weekly in season. Watch on YouTube @BOPRUReferees. Contact: @BOPRugbyReferees on FB @boprureferees on Instagram.
Awards, Appointments and a Busy Spring Ahead (Ep 23)
After a short break, Sam Fellows and Jamie Bell are back to catch up on everything happening in the Bay of Plenty refereeing community.
In this episode:
🏆 A full recap of the Bay of Plenty Rugby Referees Awards Night, including all major award winners and service milestones.
🎙️ Recognition of the outstanding contributions of referees, coaches and volunteers across the region.
🌍 International and provincial appointment news, including WXV selections, NPC, FPC and Heartland Championship appointments.
👏 Congratulations to James Dolman and Maggie Cogger-Orr on significant first-class refereeing milestones.
📋 Secondary school finals review and our Whistlers of the Week, recognising the match officials who took charge of key finals across the Bay of Plenty.
🏉 The week ahead, featuring:
National Under-15 Invitational Tournament
Rugby by the Beach
Bay of Plenty representative fixtures
AIMS Games
The start of another busy tournament season
Plus, Sam shares stories from recent representative appointments, including FPC pre-season rugby, Under-20 representative matches and a return to the TMO chair at the Steamers.
Whether you're an experienced referee, a new official, a coach, player or supporter, this episode is packed with appointments, achievements, development opportunities and stories from the referee community.
🎧 Listen on Spotify, YouTube and your favourite podcast platform.
#BayOfPlentyRugby #Referees #RugbyReferee #NPC #FPC #HeartlandChampionship #AIMSGames #RugbyCommunity #BayOfPlentyReferees #RugbyPodcast
13 Aug 2026
Bryce Lawrence on World Cups, Tough Days and Better Referees (Ep 22)
This week on the Bay of Plenty Rugby Referees Podcast, we sit down with one of New Zealand's most respected rugby referees, Bryce Lawrence.
Bryce reflects on a refereeing journey that took him from community rugby in the Bay of Plenty to the biggest stages in world rugby, including Super Rugby, Test rugby, the British & Irish Lions tour and the Rugby World Cup.
In a wide-ranging conversation, Bryce shares:
✅ How to make decisions under pressure when everyone thinks you're wrong
✅ The importance of preparation and confidence in performance
✅ Lessons from refereeing the British & Irish Lions in South Africa
✅ Why young referees shouldn't rush their development
✅ The biggest mistakes referees make when trying to improve
✅ What he would change about the TMO and modern rugby laws
✅ How to recover from the toughest game of your career
✅ The mentors who shaped his refereeing journey
✅ Why giving back to Bay of Plenty rugby still matters
We also cover the latest referee news, including the disciplinary outcome following referee contact involving Argentina's Tomás Albornoz, the launch of the new Ultimate Sevens competition, international and domestic referee appointments, and this weekend's NPC, Heartland and Northern Region fixtures.
Whether you're a referee, coach, player or rugby supporter, this episode is packed with practical lessons on leadership, resilience, performance and service.
Guest: Bryce Lawrence
Hosts: Sam Fellows, Sean Carra and Jamie Bell
Whistle well.
#BayOfPlentyRugbyReferees #RugbyRefereeing #BryceLawrence #RugbyPodcast #NPC #HeartlandChampionship #RefereeDevelopment #Leadership #WorldRugby #BayOfPlentyRugby
6 Aug 2026
Caleb Greaves: Refereeing, Recruitment, Social Media & His Grandfather's Grandstand (Ep 21)
This week on the Bay of Plenty Referees Podcast, Sam is joined by Caleb Greaves.
A former Bay of Plenty referee, current North Harbour referee and member of the Northern Zone squad, Caleb has spent more than a decade in the game and has become one of the most recognisable voices promoting refereeing in New Zealand.
We discuss Caleb's journey into officiating, moving through the referee pathway, life in the Northern Zone environment and the challenges of progressing as a match official.
The conversation also explores Caleb's innovative work running the North Harbour Rugby Referees social media channels, including the referee recruitment campaigns that have attracted attention from across New Zealand rugby and helped start new conversations about officiating.
One of the highlights of the episode is Caleb's reflections on refereeing the recent Poverty Bay versus Classic All Blacks match at Rugby Park in Gisborne, held to celebrate the opening of the new John Heikell Grandstand, named after his grandfather.
We also cover:
✅ NPC Round 2 referee appointments
✅ Northern Region development and U20 appointments
✅ World Rugby women's international appointments
✅ Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series appointments
✅ New Zealand Rugby's new domestic law modifications
✅ A shout-out to the Play On: The Rugby Referee Podcast on reaching 100 episodes
✅ This week's Bay of Plenty Referees Whistler of the Week
Whether you're a referee, player, coach or rugby supporter, there's something in this episode for anyone interested in the game from the match official's perspective.
Links Mentioned
🏉 World Rugby Match Official Appointments
https://www.world.rugby/the-game/high-performance/officiating/1023105 (https://www.world.rugby/the-game/high-performance/officiating/1023105)
🏉 Rugby's Greatest Rivalry Series Appointments
https://www.world.rugby/the-game/high-performance/officiating/1043278 (https://www.world.rugby/the-game/high-performance/officiating/1043278)
🎙️ Play On: The Rugby Referee Podcast
https://open.spotify.com/show/5uXSQQoFVDcCQluvr8u3N8 (https://open.spotify.com/show/5uXSQQoFVDcCQluvr8u3N8)
🏉 North Harbour Rugby Referees https://www.instagram.com/northharbourreferees (https://www.instagram.com/northharbourreferees)
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