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The Bald Ref - standing up for referees, and for mental health
Episode 44 • 24th October 2025 • Advantage Over podcast for rugby referees • RugbyReferee.net
00:00:00 00:43:05

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Today, we're joined by Jonny Cartwright, who you may know as The_Bald_Ref on Instagram. He's just been recognised as Loosehead Of the Year 2025 at the Looseheadz Community Awards.

We talk about:

  • Jonny's journey from coach to referee
  • How he develops referees in his role as T&D lead in Manchester & District Referees (MADRefs)
  • How Looseheadz is and how he got into supporting them (trigger warning)
  • #WaffleWednesday
  • His officiating at the World Record rugby matches in Ireland earlier in 2025
  • How he got into trouble for calling out clubs on Instagram when they fail to respect referees
  • The effect that has on referee resilience and mental health of match officials

Resources & Links:

If you have any comments about this episode, or suggestions for future shows, then drop me a line at ref@rugbyreferee.net!

You can follow us here:

Instagram: RugbyRefereenet

Facebook: Page: RugbyReferee.net

Facebook Group: RugbyReferee.net Community

Or you can connect with Keith personally on Twitter or LinkedIn

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