DUBAI // One of the most dynamic players in World Series history will return to the playing field in Dubai this weekend, more than 10 years after he last wore an England sevens shirt.
Instead of having the red rose on his chest, though, Richard Haughton will be wearing a World Rugby referees kit, and blowing the whistle as a match official.
Haughton scored over 100 tries on the circuit for an England side coached by Mike Friday, the current United States coach, and captained by Simon Amor, who is now England’s coach.
Dubai, where Haughton played three times as a player, will be his debut tournament as an international referee, having graduated to the World Series officials panel for this season.
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“Sevens offers a massive opportunity, and is a stage I absolutely loved as a player,” said Haughton, who played club rugby for Saracens, Wasps and Perpignan.
“Being a referee on that same stage is exciting, albeit I realise there will be pressure. You still want to come back to XVs because that is your bread and butter, but since I played sevens there has basically been a split for the players, and almost the same for referees.
“You end up doing one or the other, and at some point end up having to make a choice as to which way you want to go. Having the chance to do the sevens is fantastic.”
Haughton played 35 tournaments for England over the space of six seasons, and was part of the side that won three successive Hong Kong titles between 2002 and 2004.
Chief among his favourite memories of touring life were being named player of the tournament in Hong Kong, as well as the sights off the field like the Great Wall of China and the Burj Al Arab.
The former winger knows the playing fields of the UAE well, in fact. During his time at Wasps, he played in the one-off fixture against Harlequins on the lawns of Emirate Palace in 2011.
Now 36, he retired from playing at the end of the French Top 14 season in 2014, before looking to a career as a match official.
“When you are watching games with other players, and disagreeing with the decisions the referees have made, making statements while playing, that was what got me interested in being a referee,” Haughton said.
“I was thinking about refereeing even when I was at Wasps, before I went to France, it was just a matter of taking the step and start doing up.
“The problem was, being a player, is your weekends are taken up so it is hard to find the time to referee. In the end, I waited till I had finished playing.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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