February 21 - National Collegiate Rugby appointed Chris Picard to its newly created role of Judicial Officer. Picard will become a key member of the NCR Referee Committee, which is led by Referee Director, Dave Haines.
In his new role, Picard will be responsible for ensuring NCR’s discipline procedures conform to World Rugby protocols, maintaining the central database of foul play incidents (red and yellow cards), and establishing a register of World Rugby-qualified Judicial Officers to oversee sensitive issues in college rugby.
Picard will have a strong focus on education, including helping conference disciplinary chairs to embed effective disciplinary procedures, upskilling referees in handling disciplinary matters and implementing global best practices.
Commenting on the appointment, David Haines said “Chris brings a high-level skill set to NCR’s disciplinary processes. I am excited to work with him in developing a world class system that supports our conference and teams.”
Picard is a Commercial Litigator with the firm Neubert, Pepe & Monteith. Outside of his legal career, he has made continuous and significant contributions to the sport of rugby as a referee, coach and administrator.
As a member of the New England Rugby Referees Society, Picard has officiated many national-level matches for college and senior rugby and been selected for overseas referee assignments in the U.K. and Canada. He is also a certified World Rugby Judicial Officer and has served in this capacity for several associations.
Picard commented “National Collegiate Rugby is setting the standard in many areas and disciplinary procedures are a significant priority for the organization. I look forward to working with the college community to enhance the focus and rigor applied to discipline management.”
Picard got his start playing rugby while in the United States Navy in Japan with Ninety-nine Islands RFC. From there, Picard played with the Orange County Bucks, Boston College, Boston RFC and the Hartford Wanderers. He served as the head coach at Boston College High School, Wright State University, and the Hartford Wild Roses. Currently, Picard occasionally plays for Old Breed Rugby.
