RateTheRef

I've always liked Mike Dean as a referee. He just seems to get most of his decisions right. On the field he appears quite stentorian, off the field, he is one of the most amusing and convivial referees around who always shows great concern for his fellow officials when they fall into difficult times.

Mike though is no spring chicken. When he leaves the SG1 list then one of the " big hitters" will be gone and Martin Atkinson is of similar vintage. I hope replacements will be found to make confident appointments to very high profile matches. I am not sure that Pawson is quite there yet; Kavanagh is clearly a hugely promising prospect. Further down the chain, I expect Rob Jones, Darren England and possibly John Brooks to be the next "big hitters"