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Referee JP Doyle still in dark over exactly why he was singled out for RFU redundancy
By Liam Heagney
Popular referee JP Doyle has revisited the circumstances of his summer redundancy by the RFU, revealing that he has never actually asked the governing body of rugby in England why he was singled out for the chop.
It was August, amid the post-lockdown restart of the 2019/20 Gallagher Premiership, when it emerged that Doyle had been deemed surplus to requirement by the referees' department at RFU HQ in Twickenham.
Doyle has temporarily remained involved in refereeing since his redundancy, accepting an invitation to referee at the World Tens tournament that was held over three weekends in Bermuda in October and November.
However, the qualified teacher has been absent from the Premiership where he had been refereeing since 2006. The 41-year-old became a full-time RFU employee in 2010 but that relationship ended five months ago.
Asked why exactly he was made redundant, Doyle told RugbyPass Offload: "Well, I didn't actually ask in the end. I just kind of got the news and went 'fine'.
"The easiest thing is they just made redundancies, they decided I was the best person to made redundant. Players move clubs, people move jobs. It's not ideal. I wasn't happy. I didn't like it. I was upset but I understood their point, where things are.
"It's a game, we move on. If there was a story it would be great to get it out there and say what they did and what I did, (but) it's a situation they were in. They made a decision. It sucks for me. I'm sure it sucks for them as well and you just move on.
"There is no chapter seven in the book that you can say, 'I'll hold this one back'. It just is a redundancy and there is a lot of people in a lot of situations at the moment and no one is going to cry for a referee, unfortunately."
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Latest Comments
Hopefully Joe stays where he is. That would mean Les, McKellar, larkham and Cron should as well. It’s the stability we need in the state programs. But, if Joe goes, RA with its current financial situation will be forced into promoting from within. And this will likely destabilise other areas.
To better understand some of the entrenched bitterness of those outside of NZ and NSW (as an example 😂), Nic, there is probably a comparison to the old hard heads of welsh rugby who are still stuck in the 1970s. Before the days where clubs merged, professionalism started, and the many sharp knives were put into the backs of those who loved the game more than everyone else. I’m sure you know a few... But given your comparison of rugby in both wales and Australia, there are a few north of the tweed that will never trust a kiwi or NSWelshman because of historical events and issues over the history of the game. It is what it is. For some, time does not heal all wounds. And it is still festering away in some people. Happy holidays to you. All the best in 2025.
Go to commentsNot surprised to see Barretts rating. He has always been a solid defender for the ABs but not particularly effective in attack situations.
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