Rugby: Japan looks to foreign referees to raise its officiating level

Just as star players from overseas have improved the quality of Japanese domestic rugby, Japan's League One is hoping to do the same with its refereeing standards by importing top officials from other countries.Australian Nic Berry, a referee at the 2019 World Cup in Japan, demonstrated the kind of unerring judgment and smooth officiating Japan longs for from its native officials in the Jan. 22 League One game between Brave Lupus Tokyo and Toyota Verblitz."It was so good, it felt as if there wasn't a referee," said Brave Lupus forward Michael Leitch, who captained Japan in the last two Worl…READ FULL ARTICLE