Surprised

[Mat 04]

That I havn't seen or heard about this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9i8tA9a-o8

 

[didds]

handbags.

get on with the game chaps!

didds

 

[Phil E]

He shoved the ref and should have been penalised for it.

However the ref shouldnt have tried to get in between them.

 

[Adam]

He shoved the ref and should have been penalised for it.

However the ref shouldnt have tried to get in between them.

Isn't it law in places such as France and SA in that you have to actively try to prevent a fight?

 

[tim White]

Certainly, I shall blow the whistle REALLY LOUDLY to make sure they stop. Seriously, look at the size of them and the mood they are in -anyone stepping in is likely to get swatted :Looser:

 

[didds]

He shoved the ref and should have been penalised for it.

OOps! missed that it was the ref... I was looking at the players centrally involved and just saw a dark shirt.

Welll he's probably very lucky to "get away with it" but (as much as can be told from the video) I somehow perceive he wasn't puching "The Ref" but rather pushing "somebody just there talking to him while he wasn't focusing on anything else".

didds

 

[Phil E]

Welll he's probably very lucky to "get away with it" but (as much as can be told from the video) I somehow perceive he wasn't puching "The Ref" but rather pushing "somebody just there talking to him while he wasn't focusing on anything else".

didds

Agreed.

BUT

Thin end of wedge. You don't lay hands on the ref in this way, or we end up like Wendyball with the ref being pushed around by people wanting to get their point across.

 

[Robert Burns]

To be fair, Mark had a great game there though, so he probably looks at the context of the rest of the game and let it slide.

He's one of the best refs for looking at sanctions in regards to how the game has been played. (IMHO)

 

[Drift]

He has come out and said that he deserved it as he was in there close. He also said that if he thought there was anything in it he would've dealt with it and he asked that no further action was taken.

 

[Agustin]

Last weekend I reffed a game where a couple of guys were pushing each other around after the whistle. One of them threw a punch and I saw the whole thing very clearly because I was standing about 3m away, unobstructed.

A team mate of the player that was punched looked directly at me and said "Well! Aren't you going to get in there?" I was very surprised that he thought I should physically intervene.

 

[Ian_Cook]

Some years ago I saw a referee dealing with a fight in a Senior club rugby match between University and High School Oldboys, a bitter rivalry if ever there was one.

This was in the days before coloured cards, the referee was a well known member of the CRRA, Alan Taylor. His way of dealing with it was to blow his whistle several times, and if they ignored him, he just stood aside and watched the fight. Alan was one of those unique individuals with the ability to recall a sequence of events accurately and in detail. After a game, he could tell you which players scored which tries, and how they did it, and what he gave all the penalties and scrums for, and where where on the field goals were kicked from.

On this occasion, he was watching and noting every swing, every punch aver act of pushing and shoving, and what is more important, the jersey number of every player involved.

When the stouch petered out, he called the two Captains, over, and there he began to give a calm and dispassionate detailed account of what had happened, and as he did so, players were called over one by one and marched off the field. When Alan had finished, the two players who started the fight (the initial puncher and the retaliator) were sent off, and another half-dozen players (roughly evenly distributed between the sides) ended up in the cooler (sin bin).

It was comical watching a procession of players to their own dead-ball lines (thats where we used to send binned players)

The rest of the game went without incident, as he also gave a final warning to both sides.

 

[Taff]

... I reffed a game where ... One of them threw a punch .... A team mate of the player that was punched looked directly at me and said "Well! Aren't you going to get in there?" I was very surprised that he thought I should physically intervene.

That's the problem, a lot of players and if its an U18 game, virtually all parents expect you to physically intervene.

I was TJ at a very bad tempered game a few weeks ago, when fights broke out pretty frequently. Being TJ I was obviously pretty close to the parents and heard at least 4 of them say something to the effect of "My boy was being hammered but the ref did nothing about it". The parents especially expect the ref to physically get in there and split them up. The led to the ref copping a load of verbal abuse, to the extent that he put in a complaint.

 

[Bunniksider]

In my first society match yesterday there was a bit of a bust up. Two players rolled around the ground trading punches to be joined by a couple more from each side.

I stood a metre away whistling loud and long and then said clearly "come on guys I'm just taking numbers now". There was no way I was going to physically intervene.

After it petered out I had a stern chat with the captains and gave both red instigator and a gold player who ran 20 yards to join in 10 minutes on the naughty step.

I was told by my assessor/adviser that I handled "the little fracas" well.

 

[Simon Thomas]

That's the problem, a lot of players and if its an U18 game, virtually all parents expect you to physically intervene.

RFU states that discipline on the field is the responsibility of the players ! Coaches, team managers and parents must promote good discipline on and off the field. The referee penaliseslack of discipline only.

RFU advice is to avoid intervention, unless there is a life-threatening situation. A recent RFU memo was published on just this "Intervention" issue (see attachment).

There are some parents and Child Safeguarding Officers who will report a referee / appointed TJ who physically touches a U18 player.

Blow the whistle hard repeatedly, stand back and note actions and numbers.

 

[Drift]

Only fight I have ever had during one of my games was a schoolboys game. A fair hard tackle was made by a small winger on a big number 8 who took offence to being tackled that way by a winger and started laying into him, I will give the winger credit he gave as good as he got. Blew my whistle loudly a few times, players entered and luckily just pulled their team mates out of it and no other players got involved.
Both players got straight reds, this was 4 minutes into the game by the way, both captains got stern words about controling their players.
Bit of niggle for the rest of the game as well, had another yellow for someone who took being cleared out legally the wrong way and asked if "I had any f**king idea of what I was doing" luckily I told him I did and then I also told him that he was going to be sitting down for 10 minutes thinking about what the answer to that question was.

Got told by both sets of teachers that I handled the game well but I would've liked to have no more cards after the first 2 and looking back on it may have been able to with better communication skills. I also outlined that I wasn't going to get in the middle of a fight as it would impede my view of seeing anyone else coming in etc but mainly I didn't really want to get hit by a stray punch

 

[Robert Burns]

Only fight I have ever had during one of my games was a schoolboys game. A fair hard tackle was made by a small winger on a big number 8 who took offence to being tackled that way by a winger and started laying into him, I will give the winger credit he gave as good as he got. Blew my whistle loudly a few times, players entered and luckily just pulled their team mates out of it and no other players got involved.
Both players got straight reds, this was 4 minutes into the game by the way, both captains got stern words about controling their players.
Bit of niggle for the rest of the game as well, had another yellow for someone who took being cleared out legally the wrong way and asked if "I had any f**king idea of what I was doing" luckily I told him I did and then I also told him that he was going to be sitting down for 10 minutes thinking about what the answer to that question was.

Got told by both sets of teachers that I handled the game well but I would've liked to have no more cards after the first 2 and looking back on it may have been able to with better communication skills. I also outlined that I wasn't going to get in the middle of a fight as it would impede my view of seeing anyone else coming in etc but mainly I didn't really want to get hit by a stray punch

A schoolboy said that to you and got a yellow?

Sorry, but you should consider this from a promoting the game point of view, this schoolboy should have got a red for swearing at you, if fact if any adult said that to me they would get the same.

You start taking this sort of language when aimed directly at you, you are only adding to increase the problem in keeping respect for match officials.

 

[Drift]

A schoolboy said that to you and got a yellow?

Sorry, but you should consider this from a promoting the game point of view, this schoolboy should have got a red for swearing at you, if fact if any adult said that to me they would get the same.

You start taking this sort of language when aimed directly at you, you are only adding to increase the problem in keeping respect for match officials.

I spoke to my ref coach after the game at a different location and he told me the same thing. I guess I didn't really want to give out another red but in hindsight I know it was the wrong call.
I chalked it up to one of those things that you learn whilst reffing your first few years and have made the appropriate changes to my outlook on abuse towards me.

 

[Robert Burns]

I spoke to my ref coach after the game at a different location and he told me the same thing. I guess I didn't really want to give out another red but in hindsight I know it was the wrong call.
I chalked it up to one of those things that you learn whilst reffing your first few years and have made the appropriate changes to my outlook on abuse towards me.

Lol, We all have a few experiences, but you know about it and learn from them, that's the main thing.

:clap: