Kuklinski hangs up the whistle
Tue, 14 Aug 2007 16:23
Bruce Kuklinski, who was awarded British Columbia's 2006-2007 official of the year award, will be retiring from top-flight rugby in Canada and British Columbia after refereeing Rugby Canada Super League Final in Regina on 18 August. Bruce is a native of New Zealand, who played first division club rugby and age-grade Provincial rugby before his move to Canada in 1987 to further his physical education studies. He began refereeing with the Vancouver Island Rugby Referees Society after retiring from playing in 1991, making quick progress through the domestic ranks before being appointed to the Canadian Panel in 1995, reaching the international level in 1996 when he was appointed to the Japan International Sevens Tournament including being in charge of the Fiji v New Zealand Cup Final. Since then, he has refereed at thirteen international Sevens tournaments including numerous IRB World Sevens Series tournaments, the Hong Kong Sevens, the Commonwealth Games Sevens, the European Sevens Championship and Sevens World Cup qualification tournaments. He refereed his first full fifteens international between USA and Tonga in 1999, and has now done eleven international fifteen-a-side matches. He also refereed at the Under-19 and Under-21 World Cups, USA National Territorial Championships Final, in all years of the Rugby Canada Super League, and in both years of the NA4 tournament. In total, he will have refereed after seventy-eight first class matches. He has also been involved administratively, acting as Vancouver Island Rugby Referees' Society secretary for seven years. For the last two seasons, he has been the VIRRS President as well as referee allocator, whilst also being in charge of referee development and education for the British Columbia Rugby Referees' Society. Kuklinski will be continuing in these roles, whilst also focusing his attention on referee coaching and education to develop future generations of referees.