Steps to be taken to enforce discipline at rugby matches

Janine Oelofse GARDEN ROUTE BUREAU CHIEF

THE South Western Districts (SWD) Rugby Football Union has taken a number of steps to ensure that discipline is enforced at club rugby matches after 72 referees went on strike at the weekend, fearing for their lives.

SWD Referees‘ Association chairman Stephanus Dogh said members had been threatened telephonically, had been verbally and physically abused and would not take part in any matches until their safety could be guaranteed. Their move, in effect, led to no club matches being played at the weekend.

At a SWD executive management meeting late on Friday, it was decided that no club matches would take place next weekend either.

A statement from SWD on Saturday said a number of measures would be implemented to enforce club discipline and safety at matches.

Firstly, all scheduled matches for the coming weekend would be postponed.

Executive management members would from now on attend club matches and clubs would appoint officials from within their own ranks to ensure the safety of referees.

In addition, clubs would have to sign a compulsory declaration setting out guidelines in terms of alcohol use at playing fields, crowd control, fencing around sports fields, security at and adjacent to the sports fields, the role of club management and coaches in this regard, and other technical aspects.

Further measures would include that referees would have to adhere to a behavioural code and that stronger action would be applicable to players and clubs from within the union structure who did not adhere to the code, including that they could be suspended.

SWD president Stag Cronjé emphasised that the decision by the referees to strike should be understood and that safety on the playing field was very important.

He said spectators wanted to be drawn to games but that role-players over and above referees needed to become involved as safety was an important issue to all.

“The SWD is taking a strong stand to enforce club discipline,” he said.

Last week, Dogh said criminal charges had been laid after referees were attacked in a number of club games over the past two months in various Southern Cape towns.

So far no one wants to be drawn on which clubs are involved and in which towns the attacks took place.

In 2005, the police were called in to quell public violence that broke out after a club final at Outeniqua Park stadium.

During the fracas the match referee was reportedly stabbed in the face with a broken bottle and had to be rushed to hospital.