Who would want to be a referee?
come to me and say they’ve had enough. Generally they keep going for years.’’
For Gordon Noble-Campbell, refereeing is more than just a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon – it’s also an important public duty.
As president of the Wellington Rugby Referees Association, he recently reflected on referee abuse, concluding that an official’s job was above all about leadership.
‘‘As many will agree, effective leadership is not a popularity vote, and good leaders are not necessarily thanked by those they lead at the time,’’ he says.
‘‘Often it’s only in retrospect that great leadership is recognised and acknowledged.
‘‘As referees we have a leadership responsibility to the players at every fixture we officiate.’’
‘This year, I think it’s the worst for abuse from the sidelines. The spectators are having a go at referees, and the players are having a go, too. It’s like the whole thing’s a dartboard and the referee’s got a big bullseye on him, and everyone wants to have a go at him.’ WAIRARAPA RUGBY REFEREE GOFF MOORCOCK
A referee for 17 years, Mr NobleCampbell is a fixture in Wellington’s senior club scene, regularly controlling Jubilee Cup, Hardham Cup and Swindale Shield games.
A former managing director at Spicers, he now works at Forsyth Barr.
While he acknowledges the seriousness of recent incidents, he says they are few and far between.
‘‘If you consider the number of games played every weekend around the country, I’m not surprised that there are some isolated incidents, but I wouldn’t call it an epidemic.
‘‘At the same time you can’t downplay those incidents, they are serious and they need to be dealt with ... in a straightforward and public way.’’
Being so long in the game, he has built up a rapport with many of the players, and as a top referee is re- quired to attend after-match tions at various clubrooms.
He says he has never personally been confronted by a player or a spectator.
‘‘One of the greatest things about being a referee is that you’re involved in the game, managing a fair and positive and enjoyable contest, that normally everyone walks away from feeling great.
‘‘Personally I get a huge amount
func- of satisfaction from being part of the game, and physically and mentally it is often as difficult as it is for the players.’’
Rugby’s ‘‘myriad laws and interpretations’’ mean the referee is often more knowledgeable, and in a better position to adjudicate, than those on the sidelines.
‘‘People will always have a point of view and it’s important that they do. But sometimes an understand- ing from the sideline may not be the correct understanding.’’
Trying to stamp out abuse directed at referees is obviously important, but might be impossible to remove from sport altogether, he says.
‘‘I think it’s human nature to want to provide feedback and even be critical from time to time.
‘‘But there is a point when that becomes negative and demotivating, so it’s important to think about what you might be saying and how it might be perceived.
‘‘Above all people need to remember that it’s like what they say, without a referee you can’t have a game.’’
THREE years ago, top Wairarapa rugby referee Goff Moorcock decided to make a stand. Sick of being abused – on and off the field – he made himself unavailable for selection for the rest of the season. His decision worked, he says, with players and clubs both taking notice.
Two weeks ago, he again hung up his boots, this time citing sustained abuse from players and supporters – some of whom were drunk or on drugs.
‘‘This year, I think it’s the worst for abuse from the sidelines,’’ he says. ‘‘The spectators are having a go at referees, and the players are having a go, too. It’s like the whole thing’s a dartboard and the referee’s got a big bullseye on him, and everyone wants to have a go at him.’’
So far this season one Wairarapa referee has been assaulted in the clubrooms after a game. Another was threatened by supporters, he says.
On one occasion a referee was walking to the clubrooms when a car pulled up and someone told him to ‘‘watch his back’’.
The abuse had got so bad that the Wairarapa Bush Rugby Union had to warn its clubs – and it is not alone.
Last month Horowhenua-Kapiti Rugby Union chief executive Corey Kennett also vowed to investigate the abuse of referees following an incident at a Rahui-Waikanae match in Otaki.
That incident spurred referee Peter O’Keefe to write to the union airing his concerns.
‘‘Apart from one incident, I have never come across the rudeness displayed to a referee as I have witnessed in the Horowhenua-Kapiti Union,’’ he wrote.
Former international referee Bob Francis thinks it is the unions and administrators that can and should lead any positive change.
‘‘I think a lot of it goes back to the administration of the game. Standards should be set, starting from the chairman and the chief executive, and running right down through the [unions],’’ he says.
‘‘It needs to be made clear that it’s not acceptable and when it happens it has to be dealt with very swiftly. I think that’s an area where administrations could do a bit more.’’
A former Masterton mayor, Mr Francis refereed about 15 club finals as well as a host of Ranfurly Shield matches in the 1970s and 1980s.
He also refereed internationally in England and Argentina, and after retiring he continued to serve as a referee selector with the International Rugby Board.
Last year he was part of the 2011 Rugby World Cup referee selection panel. While he remembers players such as Sean Fitzpatrick, Andy Dalton and Andy Haden often putting ‘‘huge amounts of pressure’’ on referees, abuse was very rare.
‘‘At that level the stakes are so much higher that there will always be that pressure. We’ve seen it recently, just how high the stakes are – the futures of the coaches and the players can be on the line.’’
Abuse from spectators has ‘‘always been there’’, he says. ‘‘Having said that, a referee does have a lot of power these days in the way they can deal with abuse from the sidelines.
‘‘For a start, the assistants should be flagging abuse during the games, and letting them know it’s going on. After that the referee can actually order spectators to be removed.’’
Despite experiencing the odd unsavoury moment, refereeing is hugely rewarding and still provides a viable route for young sportspeople to get to the top of the game they love, Mr Francis says.
‘‘And at the end of the day, being out on the field is a pretty good place to watch a game of rugby.’’