Player fined £1,000 for hitting rugby ref
AWELSH rugby player was fined £1,000 for hitting the referee at the end of a bad-tempered cup match.
Louis Jones, 27, accused the match official of cheating before jumping on his back and hitting him in the ribs.
A court heard referee Karim Cosslett, 38, shook him off and ran to the safety of the changing rooms to avoid further assaults.
But players from Fairwater RFC carried on abusing him, claiming his decisions in the final few minutes had cost them the game.
Back-row forward Jones was arrested after a complaint was made to South Wales Police. He appeared before Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates where he admitted assault by beating.
Jones’ punch cost him £1,750 in total – a £1,000 fine, £500 costs and £100 victim surcharge. He was also ordered to pay Mr Cosslett £150 compensation. But Jones’ rugby career has been left in tatters after he was given a 96-week ban by the Welsh Rugby Union, one of the longest in the history of the game.
Jones, of Fairwater, had previously been sent off for striking an opponent, but this was the first time he’d hit a match official.
Magistrates heard there was just a score between Wattstown RFC and Fairwater when the referee gave one of the visiting players a red card for violent play.
The game kicked off again and in the dying seconds referee Mr Cosslett awarded Wattstown a penalty. They scored and won the game 22-21.
The court heard Mr Cosslett was assaulted while still on the field and within seconds of him blowing the final whistle of the second-round WRU bowl match.
WRU rules ban referees from disclosing details of internal disciplinary matters and former RAF officer Mr Cosslett, who saw action in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he could not comment about the incident.
But another referee on the Cardiff circuit said games were becoming more difficult to marshall due to threats of player and crowd violence.
He said: “We voluntarily give up time away from family and children but I know some refs are questioning whether it’s worth it. The Welsh Rugby Union are very supportive... But we need to look at club discipline from the committee, the players and the fans or I can see referees dropping out of the game.”
A WRU spokesman confirmed Jones had received a lengthy ban for attacking the referee in the game last October. A spokesman said: “The WRU disciplinary panel convened on the 22nd December 17 to review this incident. The player in question received a 96-week ban in accordance with WRU regulations.” Rugby referee Karim Cosslett