A Hongkonger, the world’s youngest rugby test referee, is headed for bigger and better games
- Rory Crombie might be a teenager, but he is stepping up to the adult game with ease, controlling senior games as well as his goals and ambitions
- He refereed India against the Philippines, becoming the youngest rugby test referee
Rugby referees are a unique breed in sport. Behemoths tower over the man or woman in the middle, capable of picking them up with one hand, only to utter “yes sir” and “sorry ma’am”. One boy now capable of creating the gravitas needed to command that respect is Rory Crombie, 17.
The Hong Kong schoolboy is the youngest test match referee in the world, having taken charge of India vs Philippines this year. Unlike cricket, where test match status is narrowly defined, rugby union tests are more broadly defined as contests between any two nationally representative teams.
He started reffing when he was just 14 and it was only a year before he was involved in adult men’s and women’s games. He even refereed the Hong Kong women’s premiership final.
“Obviously my age is just part of the challenge, and that's what I enjoy, that part of overcoming that possibility of a player reacting badly to seeing a young referee, and that’s something you have to deal with,” Crombie said.
He said players have generally afforded him the same respect they would an adult. When a player is in his face, he makes sure he uses the break in play as effectively as possible.