A WEE COUNTY man has spoken of his pride of being the first Scottish referee at the Six Nations in almost 20 years.

Mike Adamson, born and bred in Clacks, was involved in this year's competition and became the first Scot to take charge of a match since Rob Dickson in March 2002.

For Mike it was a great honour not just for him but for his team as well.

He said: "It's a great achievement for me personally – my family and colleagues are proud of what I've managed to do.

"It is similar to players...where you see the people in the middle, but there is a lot of people that I work with; my coach, my manager, my colleagues that get me into the middle.

"There is a big team behind the referee, they'll take a lot of satisfaction from the achievement as well."

With his involvement being announced months before the Six Nations began, Mike detailed the preparation in the build-up to the tournament.

He said: "As a referee you look at the teams and how they've been playing previously. We have a group of referees called World Rugby and they highlight key areas that they want us to prioritise in our refereeing.

"For the Six Nations it was speed, safety and space.

"Player welfare is really key just now; there's a lot of information about head injuries, similar to all sports, that we need to prioritise.

"There are nerves in the lead up to the game but once you're on the pitch and the whistle blows, the nerves go and you're just concentrating on the job."

Mike, who now lives in South Queensferry, was a rugby player before he became a referee, so he knows how players can get frustrated with referees, particularly in understanding certain decisions.

He continues: "What I try to take into my refereeing is I try to listen to the players, listen to the captain's point of view to understand where they're coming from and then give my reason for the decision or for the whole situation."

With no crowds allowed at the Six Nations, Mike struggles to decide whether it made his job easier or harder.

"A bit of both," he said. "Along with the players, I enjoy refereeing in front of crowds. It helps the atmosphere and the intensity of the games.

"I guess when we're making decisions using the big screen we might be able to focus a bit more on the decision with one less external factor we need to consider there with crowds, so that probably makes things a little bit easier."

While he wonders if it makes his job easier or harder, one thing he knows for sure is he can't wait until fans return.

"I think everybody misses the crowds," he continues. "We're all looking forward to the day they're allowed back in."