It probably is not a coincidence that three of the highest profile players-turned-referees have been half-backs; Glen Jackson, the former Saracens fly-half, is now an international whistler while Frank Murphy and Nic Berry, ex-Leicester and Wasps No 9s, regularly officiate in the PRO12 and on the Super Rugby circuit respectively.

Karl Dickson, the Harlequins scrum-half, seems set to follow in their footsteps. With his contract up at the end of the season, the 34-year-old will decide in the next couple of weeks whether to seek another playing contract or focus on refereeing full time.

Being a scrum-half, the appeal of telling other players what to do is obvious. “You are an important part of the game as a No 9 and the decisions you make influence the outcome so there are a few similarities there,” Dickson told The Daily Telegraph. “We pretty much referee the game anyway until we are told to shut up.”

Having been persuaded to attend a refereeing course by former team-mate Will Skinner, Dickson has risen rapidly from officiating under-18 fixtures to taking charge of the Richmond v London Irish fixture in the Championship on Christmas Eve. He hopes to referee another Championship match next month having received encouraging feedback from Chris White, the Rugby Football Union’s national referee academy manager, as well as the players on both teams, several of whom are former team-mates.