Rugby World Cup ‘abuse’

ALL Blacks coach Jason Ryan has described the abuse that match officials receive on social media as “disgusting”.

His comments come in the wake of a World Rugby report which revealed the extent of the abuse during the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Wayne Barnes received death threats following the final between New Zealand and South Africa, while Ben O’Keeffe also came under fire after the lasteight clash involving the Boks and hosts France.

According to the report, of the abuse aimed at individuals, Barnes received a third of it.

Needs to be dealt with

“What’s been happening with some of the messaging and threats that have been sent to referees (and) their families is disgusting. It’s something that needs to be cracked down on at the highest level,” Ryan told Newstalk ZB.

“When you get a guy like Wayne

Barnes who is probably one of the most experienced referees in the world chuck the game in and maybe not even give back to it… it’s a sad state of affairs.

“The sooner something is done about it at the highest level, whether or not that through the law and criminal offences or World Rugby, it has to stop because it’s not good enough.”

Legal action is being taken against transgressors, with one person being charged in Australia and other prosecutions pending in South Africa, France, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Australia.

“It’s been constant, and some of the messages, I don’t want to repeat them… it’s just awful,” Ryan said.

“I don’t think those messages would be coming from genuine rugby people. People that are embraced in the game, that love rugby for what it is… these people aren’t those people. I’d be very surprised if they are, because the people involved in rugby, good people are running it and good people are involved in it.”

900 accounts monitored

Signify Group monitored 900 social media accounts during the tournament and also revealed the teams that were most targeted. England were the highest on the list, followed by Springboks, France and New Zealand.