As part of our exchange program between Norway, Sweden and Finland, the Swedish championship finale between Stockholm Exiles RUFC and Enköping RK was refereed by Vincent Bouchet on the 8th of October.

The first game in the Swedish SM Men's finals this season has been allocated to a referee from Norway. Originally from France, Vincent Bouchet is currently the head of the Norwegian referee society and has been selected as part of an exchange with the Norwegians, putting a Swedish referee on their final for 2011.

Vincent's father, Pascal Bouchet, has also refereed in Sweden having taken on his first FIRA appointment in the middle for the the SM Final on the 21/10/1995, Pingvin RC v Enkoping RK. During the game Pascal was accidentally charged by a player and he broke his rib. He continued on to the end of the game however and was then forced to spend two extra days in hospital due to a pneumothorax (air in the pleural cavity of the chest between the lung and the chest wall). 

Vincent is now following in his fathers footsteps, although hopefully avoiding players, as a referee and here is a little background on him:

• played in US Saujon Rugby (5th national level)
• started referee in 1996
• started at national level at 20 years old
• first game in 1ere Division Federale (3rd national level in France, semi-pro) at 28 years old
• then move to Norway, head of referee in Norway, FIRA-AER referee