CRFU tackling racism in rugby
A growing number of complaints about on-field racial abuse has prompted a campaign seeking to eliminate discrimination from Canterbury rugby.
Canterbury Rugby Football Union (CRFU) is launching the ‘‘We All Bleed Red’’ initiative today, which asks everyone involved in rugby to take an active role in removing all forms of discrimination from the game.
Chief executive Nathan Godfrey said the campaign was in response to an increase in racial abuse complaints made to the union last year.
Several high-profile incidents were reported last season, including a racial slur being used against a Fijian boy during a game of high school rugby last June and an instance of racial abuse at a club rugby final which resulted in the abuser being banned from rugby for 46 weeks.
Godfrey said the vast majority of Canterbury’s rugby community was appalled to hear about cases of racial abuse in the grassroots game. ‘‘The CRFU wanted to take a strong leadership position by sending a clear message that racial abuse, and any form of discrimination including referee abuse, class, gender, sexuality or physical disability, will be met by a zero tolerance response.’’
Last year, the CRFU received 12 complaints at the under-18 age group, which ranged from foul play to referee abuse, offensive sideline behaviour, and two cases of racism.
The CRFU was working with the Children’s Commissioner and New Zealand Rugby to make changes to the judicial process for complaints involving youth.
Future complaints would be dealt with through a Community Group Conference process, where the victim and perpetrator would sit down with family members and school representatives from both sides. The meetings would be run by a youth justice expert.
A Judicial Committee would also be formed to deal with red cards issued to youth and issues that could not be resolved using the group conference process.
New guidelines would ensure the meeting place was child friendly, lawyers could act only as observers, and cross-examination would happen only with the permission of the convenor. Sanctions would still apply to players when appropriate.
The changes would be trialled by the CRFU this year before New Zealand Rugby decided which could be adopted nationally.
Godfrey said the changes meant youth would ‘‘learn from their mistakes’’. ‘‘We certainly think we’ll get more positive outcomes. What we’re really working toward is restorative justice.’’
Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy said it was great CRFU had acknowledged there was a problem and were doing something about it.
Racial abuse was not just a Canterbury or a rugby problem, but a New Zealand problem, she said.
‘‘This is really an endorsement of the really brave people that came out last year and made people aware that there was an issue.’’
Last June, Southbridge player Peni Manumanuniliwa was the victim of racial abuse during a Canterbury combined country final match against Waihora. Bronson Munro was later suspended for 46 weeks.
Manumanuniliwa was not available to comment yesterday, but at the time of the abuse said all he wanted was for his voice to be heard and ‘‘for something to be done about racial abuse on the playing field’’.
He said the CRFU had dealt with the incident in a fair and transparent manner, and trusted racial abuse would be prevented in the future.
In the same month, a Christ’s College player used a racial slur against a St Thomas of Canterbury student during a match. He was suspended from playing during the disciplinary process, which ran from August to October.
In July 2015, Sake Aca was too upset to finish a match after racial taunts from Lincoln University supporters. At the time, he called on the CRFU to stamp out racism in the game.
''This is really an endorsement of the really brave people that came out last year and made people aware that there was an issue." Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy