Tours and Tournaments

Whilst our primary aim is to support the game in London and the South East, we are very fortunate to be invited to officiate at some of the best tournaments in the UK and overseas, as well as welcoming exchange referees from other societies around the world. These tours are a great opportunity to help grow the game in different parts of the world, develop our referee's skills on and off the pitch as well as offering a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the rugby culture of a foreign country. 

This page provides just a taste of some of the things we have been up to over the last couple of years! You can follow all of our tourists' exploits on Twitter and Instagram by searching for the hashtags #LSRFURONTOUR and #CROUCHBINDTOUR.

If you are looking to host an incoming referee from overseas, make sure you contact the General Secretary to arrange the appropriate insurance - all the details are on our Members pages. 

Each year LSRFUR are fortunate enough to send referees and supporting officials to the world famous Dubai International 7s. The event runs in parallel to the World Rugby 7s tournament and is renowned for its high playing standards, grueling physical demands and status as a breeding ground for developing referees on the world stage.

A famous and prestigious tournament for teams from across this UK, the St Joseph’s College National Schools Rugby Festival is one of the marquee events of the schoolboy calendar. LSRFUR are honoured to provide the full officials team each year to what proves to be one of the most exciting weekends of the season.

We started a referee exchange with the Japanese RFU and Fukuoka RFU in 2016 anticipating the run up to the 2019 World Cup.  We’ve grown from one referee exchanging each way for a week in November to to multiple exchanges each year, including hosting Japanese referees in London at the Rosslyn Park National School 7s each March. 

This amazing opportunity is available to LSRFUR referees looking to advance their refereeing at Level 7 and Level 6, and gain valuable rugby experience of refereeing in a different culture with a very different style of play. It’s a fantastic cultural experience and one that our referees will remember for life! 

Every year over the late May bank holiday weekend, London Society goes on tour to the Bournemouth 7s Festival, the biggest sport and music festival in the world! 

We take London referees from Level 10 to the national panel to referee across two massive days of rugby on the south coast. With over 40 referees, coaches, assessors and two dedicated appointers, its our biggest event in the calendar.

The rugby includes some of the best teams in the UK, to the club social sides - so there is something for everyone to referee. We take it seriously… but not that seriously…. (#captainserious) and it’s fantastic social weekend for the society. 

The annual international COBRA 10s in Kuala Lumpur was first held in 1967 and has been an ever present event on the international calendar for the last four decades.

The annual Bangkok 7s is an emerging tournament that attracts players and officials from across Asia and the world.

For the last few years, London has sent a group of referees to the Stanislas 7s tournament in Nancy, France. Arranged through former LSRFUR referee Alexis Charolais, who now sits on the organising committee, the weekend in late May is a fantastic opportunity for some of LSRFUR’s best 7s referees to develop their skills overseas, pick up some referee French, and contribute to a fantastic tournament. Some of the teams include the development squads from France, Germany and Sweden, as well as invitational sides from across France and the UK.