Chris Hart set to TMO his 100th first class game this Saturday.

Harty came to Otago in 2013 after spending his post playing career refereeing in Canterbury.

He quickly became a member of the Otago rugby referees Premier panel and became a cult figure amongst the Dunedin club rugby scene due to his big personality.

Having been a former Canterbury first five in the 1990s he brought his great understanding for the game into his refereeing and later on into his off-field refereeing.

In 2014 Harty was given his first opportunity to TMO when he made the trip down to Invercargill to TMO for Brendan Pickerill in the Southland v Bay Of Plenty ITM cup fixture.

It was from there on in that he quickly started to accumulate TMO opportunities and made himself into a quality First-class TMO.

2018 saw Harty sit up in the box for a couple of Super rugby games and started what is a solid career as one of New Zealand’s best TMOs.

One of Harty’s greatest moments arrived when he became Otago’s first ever referee to TMO a Test match at Prince Chichibu Stadium for Japan v Uruguay. He then travelled to Melbourne to get his next big chance with Australia v England.

The Television Match Official is one of the most high pressure roles that rugby can offer and to attain 100 caps in that role is something really unique.

After playing his rugby for the now defunct Rangiora Rugby football club he now has his 100th TMO opportunity when he sits in chair for Canterbury v Taranaki at the Rangiora Showground Oval where he his rugby journey first started.

Congratulations Harty and we’re proud to call you one of ours, you’re a legend!

Article added: Friday 01 September 2023