Born in Paris in 1993, to a father who was a pilot, Christophe Ridley has a somewhat boyish look about him but it is soon apparent that the 27-year old Premiership referee’s early life experiences forced him to grow up remarkably quickly.
“When I got to about 12 years old, my parents were going to move abroad again… one of the teams I was involved with was an Elite Player Development Group at Leicester Tigers and when he (Dad) told them that there was a chance I wasn’t going to be continuing to come to training because we were moving abroad, they suggested that I stayed in the country and went to a boarding school because they were pretty convinced that I would go on to potentially sign a professional contract with them 4 years later.”
That coach’s prediction became reality as Ridley went on to leave school at 16 and sign for Leicester Tigers at a time where the East Midlands side had reached 10 consecutive Premiership finals, winning six of those finals as well as two European Cups. Unfortunately, his career as a player was prematurely ended in 2013 due to a dislocated shoulder.
Whereas many people may have regressed into a state of self-pity after having their dreams crushed, for Ridley that was never an option. Instead, it fostered an astonishing appetite to succeed.
“The moment I was injured it was about recovery, moment I got told I wasn’t going to recover it was about, well I want to be the best at the next thing and I was very impulsive in making those decisions. So I never really mourned the injury.”
‘Impulsive’ is the adjective Ridley uses to describe himself and that’s why after two years spent as a Rugby Development Officer at Leicester Tigers, in 2015, he jumped into refereeing following a meeting with former international referee and now mentor Chris White.
“I was willing to try anything on the basis that everything I was offered I took up and took it upon the basis that it was a new thing to be the best at. So that’s the reason why I picked refereeing.”
The desire to be the best is something that drives Ridley and that, married with his experience of boarding from age 11, as well as being part of what he described as a ‘brutal’ environment at Leicester Tigers from age 16 are key factors in his meteoric rise in the world of professional refereeing.
Ridley refereed his first ever game in 2015. In 2018, he made his Premiership debut.
When asked about the rapidity of his progression he cites numerous factors, such as his time at Leicester but he’s also keen to stress that people’s perception of him may be somewhat disconnected from reality.
“I think the fact I had exposure to the elite environment and the elite culture meant that I was able to step up very quickly and that I knew what world I was putting myself in…on the cover you’d see me as this young, aspiring referee who’s quite inexperienced but in reality, I had scars on my back from other places that I’d been involved in.”
Ridley emphasises that being ‘resilient and robust’ is a necessity at the top-level of officiating as refereeing can be a tough and isolating experience. Unlike players, where praise and criticism can come in equal measure, the comment tends to only go one way with referees and therefore Ridley stresses that anonymity is good for a referee.
“If you’re spoken about then usually there’s been a problem. So, it’s a double-edged sword in the sense of when you do well no one says anything but when you don’t do well the profile is enormous.”
The spotlight has mostly avoided Ridley during his officiating career but his decision to award Harlequins a last minute penalty try against Exeter Chiefs drew heavy criticism, as he was seen to be correcting a previous error after having denied Quins a winner moments before, when failing to play advantage.
Ridley cites the incident as his biggest ‘speedbump’ but admits much like when his playing career ended it wasn’t a moment to sulk or feel sorry for himself.
“First thing I said, and I said it an hour after the game, to my boss on the phone, I said it wasn’t good enough but I want to referee next week. Because I knew it wasn’t something that would happen to me twice. Ultimately that’s the big thing with mistakes, is it’s ok to make mistakes but how I see it is, you shouldn’t make that same mistake twice.”
The determination to improve and learn is another striking characteristic about the 27 year old. As he points out the nature of refereeing means there’s only one way to improve his craft and that’s on the field.
“There’s no simulation for me, there’s no game preparation for me, our training is the matches. It’s one of the only jobs in the world where it’s very hard to train away from it and you’re expected to learn as you go on the job. Very unique.”
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Having refereed nearly 30 Premiership games, refereed in Europe and most recently been on the line in the Six Nations, he’s clear about where his ambition lies.
“I want to referee in a World Cup final.”
There is a clarity to that answer that makes you believe that it won’t be long before we see Ridley at the very top and who knows maybe in the middle come the World Cup Final in Paris 2023.
Archie Connolly Sport 