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Former Gallagher Premiership referee JP Doyle has broken his silence about the RFU redundancy that has ended his long connection with top-flight rugby in England. After his name was marked absent from the opening two rounds of appointments for the recently restarted 2019/20 Premiership, it emerged that the popular Irishman had lost his job due to the overall financial cutbacks affecting English rugby HQ at Twickenham.
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Amid claims that the RFU face losses of up to £107million and that 139 jobs across the organisation had to go, the ten-strong full-time panel of referees learned earlier this summer that their jobs were also on the line.
That process eventually resulted in the release of the popular 41-year-old who had been refereeing in the Premiership since 2006 and was a full-time RFU employee since 2010. There have since been calls for Doyle to join up with the Guinness PRO14 where there is regular criticism about its inconsistent refereeing standards.
However, appearing on the latest episode of The Rugby Pod, the show hosted by Andy Goode and Jim Hamilton, Doyle said he was biding his time before his next move and added that he could even return to reaching, his old profession before he became a full-time referee.
Explaining his redundancy after a ten-year full-time stint, he said: “Services no longer required unfortunately due to Covid and the cutbacks at the RFU and the business of the business, I guess. Sport is sport and you have to take your licks and get on with it.
One of the best referees in the game, @jpref9 joined the lads this week to chat redundancy, career plans and just what it takes to be at the top of your game for so long.
Best of luck for the future JP 👊
Watch the full video here 👇https://t.co/DzVsUBbZkA
— The Rugby Pod (@TheRugbyPod) August 26, 2020
“When redundancies are happening, and there is a lot of people going through that at the moment, you have just got to go through the process and what will out will out. Often you speak to people and these are great opportunities to reset and go again.
“The best way I can describe it is it’s a very sad and sudden stop. I’d love to be doing a game this weekend but there are great refs out there. There are other guys who can do the games. I’d only love to be out there for me because I really love doing it and I really like being out there. The teams, the coaches, supporters, the support staff around the teams who I used to really enjoy being involved with.
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“Look, the game will go on. There will be other people to do the games and they will referee them brilliantly. The RFU have got a great set-up, great referees. For me, it’s sad and it’s sudden. Yeah, I feel gutted but rugby goes on, sport goes on.
“The situation is what the situation is. It has been pretty public what is going on at the RFU. They are having to do what they have to do to ensure the future. The future of the game is far more important than the future of JP Doyle. That is what we have got to remember.
“We want rugby to be bigger and better and brighter and kick on. Rugby doesn’t need me. I love the game but the game loves nobody. It’s okay. It moves on and you reassess and go again. It is sad but it’s okay as well.
“The ironic thing is the last thing I did (as an RFU employee) was a bronco test. I was good to go (for the English season restart) but it wasn’t to be. With PRO14, they have their guys, they have their panel and it is also run by their unions.
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“They have their guys coming through that they want to develop and want to get better. Sure, if someone asked me to go and referee I’d take a look but for them, it’s important to develop their referees. They have great refs, all the countries have international refs. They want to bring more through, so you can understand where they are with that.”
Not being at a rugby ground somewhere in England in recent weekends, though, is taking Doyle a bit of time getting used to. “What is weird and what is great is the last two weekends I have been able to actually see people at weekends,” he explained.
“I can come across and have a beer and a bowl of crisps on a Saturday afternoon and that has been lovely. I’m sure that will wear thin. I was a school teacher before this so I can go back.
“If I miss out and leave rugby I will be sad. Maybe there is something in and around the media I would love to do, but Covid is contracting everything at the moment so we are just eyes open, wide awake to see what we can find out there. I loved teaching before I came into rugby and I still do. We’ll just see what happens.”
Excellent to see the rugby family weigh in behind JP after what must be a sickening blow https://t.co/untJCxCUX4
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 21, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments