Queens' College development director to be TMO at Rugby World Cup in Japan
Rowan Kitt will complete an extraordinary rise to the top of the officiating tree this autumn.
The 50-year-old Queens’ College fellow and development director has been selected as one of only four TMOs for the Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Talking to the Cambridge Independent, the Cambridge University RUFC member gives an intriguing account of life as a TMO and his alternative route to the top.
“I’m a bit of an anomaly where I’m now doing a world cup having not been a full-time or professional referee, or even a Premiership referee - so something has gone wrong somewhere,” he jokes.
“In a sense, it still hasn’t sunk in. When world cup selection comes round and you get the phone call to say you’re on the plane, it is just amazing.
“It’s five years of hard work and application. It’s an honour. It’s vindication of masses of time away from family and hours poring over clips, laws and travelling.
“Now as I think towards it, it’s a huge responsibility. That will be the overriding emotion until you get past the final and the world cup ends.”
He added: “It’s a massive responsibility as you have to make the big calls. I just have to keep training myself to be able to do it, work with the referees that I’m going to referee for and know them backwards so I can make the best calls.”
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