The law and insurance are famous for being tough jobs with everybody playing it hard and fast. But to Dennis Dwyer and John Weale this is nothing.

As rugby referees they have to make split second decisions and control 30 huge players to stop them marauding up and down the pitch.

In fact their very important day jobs pale into insignificance and their love of the game bubbles up to the surface when they don their uniforms and get on to the field.

And this week the Rugby Classic forces both men from behind their desks during the week and into spending more time on the pitch.

As a top corporate lawyer, most businessmen and women are used to seeing Mr. Dwyer in his gown and wig. But non-rugby aficionados might not know that this man of the law is also the top referee in the Bermuda/West Indies region.

Mr. Weale is number three and both have been on the pitch almost every night, making sure the game they love so much is played to the highest standard.

Mr. Dwyer is in such demand that he is asked to referee at one match or another both in Bermuda and around the world almost every weekend.

"I am very lucky that I am my own boss, and I can work my timetable around the rugby," said Mr. Dwyer. "I don't take everything I am offered, or I would never have time to work."

And he said the two world's collide every now and again - but it has never got as bad that he has had to run onto the pitch in his gown and wig. "But I have picked up my kit bag and gone straight from the court or the office to a game," said the Wakefield Quinn senior counsel. "It is one of the nice things about being one of the bosses. The partners are pretty considerate and I can work my calendar around it."

When Mr. Dwyer arrived in Bermuda in 1979 to work for Conyers Dill and Pearman, he looked for a rugby team to play in. Back in his home town of Leeds he had played senior level rugby and was keen to keep up the game. He joined the Renegades and then played on the Bermuda National side.

He was forced to retire from the game when he suffered a head injury. But he missed the game so much, that when he recovered he decided to referee. This was in the early 1990s, and he went on to reach a high enough status in the refereeing world to become the most senior referee in the West Indies region (which includes Bermuda). Now in his 50s, Mr. Dwyer has to train even harder to keep his fitness up to keep up with the players on the pitch. He trains five days a week, runs at least three times a day, cycles and does weights.

He has to get up at the crack of dawn to fit this into his day before showering and then going into the office to face a full day as a senior lawyer in the law firm.

Mr. Dwyer is off to Trinidad in December and has recently returned from refereeing in Cayman. But he says it is essential to keep your hand in abroad to keep up the level of expertise on the pitch.

"If you want to improve or get to a certain level you have to go abroad. You have to sacrifice time and money - sometimes you have to pay your hotel bills and also the airfares to do your referee training. But that is the cost of getting better."

"I am the boss and can make my own time," he said. "But I don't take advantage of it. I try to say leave on a Thursday and be back on a Tuesday or if it is in the States or Canada, leave on the Friday and come back on the Sunday."

He says he has never missed a court date because of rugby because of a court case. "A couple of times it has come pretty close," he admits. "A week like this week I would ideally like to take off, but we had meetings and I could not."

So he has been so busy juggling working through the day and refereeing at night he has not had time to celebrate his birthday - but he vows he will do so this weekend when he is not working.

"It sounds good, but it is a bit of a commitment," he said. "But if you love something, you find a way to do it. It is like any sports fan, where there is a will there is a way. And I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it."

Mr. Weale was encouraged to referee by Mr. Dwyer when he had to quit the game of rugby he had loved all his life. Originally from Wales, Mr. Weale has lived and breathed rugby since an early age. He played at school, university and later when he was working joined a team wherever he worked. And when he came to Bermuda to work for American International 20 years ago, he automatically looked for a club to play for. He joined the Mariners and stopped about nine years ago.

"I don't miss playing now, but when I gave up I missed it for the first year, I missed being involved. And that was one of the main reasons I started refereeing."

As senior vice president at IPCRe, he typically works all hours of night and day during the Rugby Classic to be able to manage both work and referee. Normally he works about 60 hours a week - and has to find time to cover as much ground when he is working as a referee.

"Work comes first," he said, and even though rugby is his love, it has to wait until business is finished.

It also helps that he has risen through the insurance ranks to number two in the company, and that he can work his life around his hobby more than most people.

There has, however, only been one instance when he missed a game. It was in 2001 and he was supposed to be a back-up official for the Rugby Classic final. Packed in his kit bag were the flags for the touch judges.

But IPC was in the middle of a public offering and he was scheduled for a conference call with the lawyers. And the call that was supposed to take 40 minutes took an hour and forty minutes. He rushed down to the field - but had missed the first game of the day - but made it just in time for the final.

"If you look at footage from the 2001 games you will see the touch judges have unusually small flags. They are little Bacardi flags taken from some food display or other.

"I was in the office and ran to the National Sports Centre. Obviously I was very apologetic, but I did make it for the final proper."

He referees on average three times a month, but finds he has little time to go abroad - although he recognises he needs to do so to keep himself on top of the game. He is also off to Trinidad in December and is looking forward to the trip.

Mr. Weale spends his free time training to keep up with the fast pace of play. His wife, Margaret, a personal trainer, helps him by going on runs... and by being understanding at the hours he keeps.

"When I am on the Island I train about five times a week, plus any games I referee on are on top of that," said Mr. Weale. And against all rugby-playing instincts, he has taken up football. He plays friendlies and says it helps keep up his fitness as well as being hugely enjoyable.

He said he will not stop refereeing until he cannot do it anymore, either through age or illness. "So long as I am fit enough to do it and enjoy it enough, I will continue."