Lifetime bans for ref attackers

[buff]

Story here

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_49264,00.html

 

[Not Kurt Weaver]

Off to RL for the trio

There are plenty of clubs in other countries, plenty of names to assume, plenty of VISA to overstay.

 

[talbazar]

:clap:

 

[damo]

There aren't any details in the story, so it is impossible to evaluate this case, but in general I do not support life time bans for assaulting the referee. A lifetime is a long time for a mistake, even a reprehensible one like this one.

 

[crossref]

There aren't any details in the story, so it is impossible to evaluate this case, but in general I do not support life time bans for assaulting the referee. A lifetime is a long time for a mistake, even a reprehensible one like this one.

I agree with that. A lifetime should afford some opportinity for redemption.

meanwhile this bit

The Fort Beaufort Barbarians Rugby Club was also suspended from all rugby activities for the rest of the year by the committee. They were found guilty of bringing the EPRU into disrepute by failing to ensure the safety of the match official and by not assisting the union in identifying other players believed to have been a party to the assault

seems remarkably lenient
- they are saying that club officials are covering up / hiding other players who have assualted a referee? And still are persisting in that ?

Surely that makes them unfit to be club officials and they should be removed, or if SARU doesn't have that power to remove them, the club banned indefinetly until they go.

 

[OB..]

I agree with that. A lifetime should afford some opportinity for redemption.

In England there is. The person can apply to be re-instated. This happened to one of our players many years ago. He was told he could apply to be reinstated after 5 years if he showed dedication to the game, so he became the 1st XV bagman/secretary/TJ. After 5 years he applied, with the support of the club, and was reinstated.

(And promptly joined another club!)

 

[SimonSmith]

There aren't any details in the story, so it is impossible to evaluate this case, but in general I do not support life time bans for assaulting the referee. A lifetime is a long time for a mistake, even a reprehensible one like this one.

Not sure I agree with the math here. There's every chance that an assaulted referee quit the game, AND/OR another referee or potential referee will do the same.
So, we could be looking at the lifetime loss of a constructive member of the rugby community.

While the assailant gets to come back in.

I think it's OK to start with Life and then, if appropriate (as in OB's case) see if they can work their way back in.

 

[Blackberry]

We really do as a rule get it easy. I went to visit a mate of mine whose lad was playing in a league final (all the leagues have cup playoffs). The abuse from the crowd was staggering, though huge respect to my mate's lad who asked me to help him come up with wind ups to antagonise the known to be feisty opposition. My best was to be aimed at their allegedly rotund left back "Hey mate, your shirt doesn't need a number, it needs a post code" and "I don't think I can get round you tonight, well, not without a roadmap". (This was not mine, came from a Irish captain when a famous winger who used to run a soup kitchen made a comeback). They won the game in extra time.

OK, but here's the sad bit. After the match I was making free with the committee's sandwiches (my mate is a senior football ref) and chatting to the refs, and they were not quite what I hoped for. I guess after a few years of abuse you might become bitter and defensive. So we finished our beers, and most of the sandwiches, and headed to the pub.

View attachment 3224

The refs were subjected to a barrage of the c word, and at oe point the losing side chucked on smoke bombs

 

[Pinky]

We really do as a rule get it easy. I went to visit a mate of mine whose lad was playing in a league final (all the leagues have cup playoffs). The abuse from the crowd was staggering, though huge respect to my mate's lad who asked me to help him come up with wind ups to antagonise the known to be feisty opposition. My best was to be aimed at their allegedly rotund left back "Hey mate, your shirt doesn't need a number, it needs a post code" and "I don't think I can get round you tonight, well, not without a roadmap". (This was not mine, came from a Irish captain when a famous winger who used to run a soup kitchen made a comeback). They won the game in extra time.

OK, but here's the sad bit. After the match I was making free with the committee's sandwiches (my mate is a senior football ref) and chatting to the refs, and they were not quite what I hoped for. I guess after a few years of abuse you might become bitter and defensive. So we finished our beers, and most of the sandwiches, and headed to the pub.

View attachment 3224

The refs were subjected to a barrage of the c word, and at oe point the losing side chucked on smoke bombs

Blackberry, not suggesting your behaviour was on a par with the opposition crowd, but were your windups in line with recommended conduct? I think not. From an early age we need to educate players and often their parents that what they should do is encourage good and positive play, a good attitude in defeat etc. We should not encourage abusing other players or the officials. The widups you came up with imho were abuse aimed at the left back. Abuse for weight is, I accept a grey area compared to race, so or the other protected in law characteristics, but I would advise that we don't go there!

 

[Blackberry]

Hi Pinky
Don't know why you dragged race or abusing officials into your response?