Since Cotterell took up the whistle in 1984, the laws of the game have changed several times, and the game is now coached and played very differently.
“World rugby changing a try from four to five points; red and yellow cards and the sin bin have been brought in; lifting in lineouts; the referee has taken more control of scrums; a number of changes to tackling laws; backs to stand 5m back from scrums; rucking has been more or less taken out of the game and foul play being tightened up on – those are just some of the law changes along the way,” Cotterell said.
Cotterell has no plans to retire any time soon as he gets “the best seat in the house” every weekend.
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As his love of the game continues, he hopes to remain injury-free and be the best referee he can be, whether at the junior or senior level.
One of his goals is to help add to the strong referee group in the Te Awamutu Sub-Union to ensure the future of the game in the local regions.
“As a referee at grassroots level, I have no say on the changes, so over the 40 years I have learned to adapt to the changes and style of play, taking the good with the bad,” Cotterell said.
“I have learned from each game along the way, as well as building friendships with people involved within the game – from locally to overseas.”
Jesse Wood is a multimedia journalist based in Te Awamutu. He joined the Te Awamutu Courier and NZMEin 2020.
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