But then southern hemisphere teams are more skilful than their northern hemisphere counterparts, which means games can be easier to referee.

- Alan Lewis

If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer.

- Alan Lewis

The scrum and the tackle are the two really contentious areas of the game. If you get those two aspects right, most rugby matches will work in your f…

- Alan Lewis

Coaches will do what they can but it doesn't necessarily bother me. You are an international referee for a reason. If things like that are going to r…

- Alan Lewis

I could give 48 penalties in every match if I wanted to. It is a question of sometimes choosing what is - in your own mind - of material importance a…

- Alan Lewis

I do my own analysis on the teams I am refereeing. I will know some of the personalities, the players who could be difficult customers in a scrum sit…

- Alan Lewis

The objective of a referee is not to get mentioned. I tell a lot of young referees that not being mentioned is king. If you can achieve that, that th…

- Alan Lewis

My job is to persuade people to toe the line and play within the laws of the game.

- Alan Lewis

Coaches do so much research about a referee because they believe refereeing is such a crucial part of the game that the result may hinge on what we s…

- Alan Lewis