Inside the RFL’s referee shake-up as Super League speeds up.
The match officials department is set for a fresh shake-up.
The Rugby Football League’s match officials department is set to undergo a restructuring, All Out Rugby League understands.
The proposed changes are aimed at strengthening support and delivering more focused coaching for the governing body’s full-time officials.
The 2026 season has introduced a number of significant law changes as part of the RFL’s continued push to make the sport faster and more dynamic, with the ultimate goal of delivering a more entertaining product on the field.
These included modifications to ruck speed and updates to the video referee process. Ahead of the 2026 Super League season, a system was introduced whereby on-field referees award tries they believe to be valid, with the video referee reviewing those decisions in the background. No-try calls are still sent upstairs for review.
The approach mirrors the model used in the NRL and is aimed at speeding up decision-making.
Ahead of round four, the average number of video referee reviews per game had fallen from 2.9 to 1.3.
Play-the-ball speeds have also increased by an average of one second, contributing to a slight rise in points scored compared to the start of the 2025 season.
With these changes in place, it has been deemed important by the RFL hierarchy to provide the full-time officiating group with additional specialist support.
Under the revised structure, head of match officials Phil Bentham will shift his focus towards coaching the full-time referees in a new role as Super League match officials head coach.
Andrew Smith will oversee administration and the day-to-day running of the group, while former Super League referee Ben Thaler will take on a broader role that includes supporting the development and coaching of emerging Super League officials.