England fans told to ‘show some respect’
STUART Lancaster has implored England f ans to show respect while supporting his team, as the RFU continue to investigate allegations that referee Nigel Owens was subjected to homophobic abuse at Twickenham last Saturday.
The union’s disciplinary officer, Gerard McEvilly, was thought to be in contact with a spectator, Keith Wilson, who has complained about comments made by fans sitting near him — aimed at Welsh official Owens, who is gay.
In a letter, Mr Wilson referred to ‘nasty, foul-mouthed, racist, homophobic abuse’ during England’s match against New Zealand, while adding the ‘vitriol’ left him feeling ‘ashamed’.
Owens, who has been known to joke about his sexuality during matches, r esponded to t he allegations by urging the RFU to ban for life anyone found guilty of such abuse, saying: ‘They need to be told that some behaviour is not acceptable, that crossing the line of what is humour and banter is a fine line, but if you cross it then you have to put up with the consequences.’
Another sell- out crowd will be at Twickenham tomorrow for England’s second QBE Test against South Africa and head coach Lancaster yesterday found himself dealing with the alleged misconduct of England supporters.
He has made a concerted effort to generate greater noise and fervour in the stands at home matches, but urged those in attendance to moderate their behaviour towards officials and visiting players.
‘Generally you want a crowd that is behind the team but respecting the core values of the sport,’ said Lancaster. ‘ That balance should easily be able to be achieved. That is what we feel the crowd give us. They give us a huge amount of energy.
‘I go back to the core values of what we are about. One of those is respect. I think we need to show that as a team and as a country to all opposition players, coaches, referees and opposition spectators as well.’
In reference to the claims Owens was abused by England fans, Lancaster added: ‘I met Nigel on Friday before the game. We had a great conversation about the game and about how we were going to approach it and I think we all, as international coaches, understand the pressure referees are under. We are all under pressure.
‘Every decision gets analysed — every decision a player makes, every decision a coach makes and every decision a referee makes.
‘ We have to understand the pressures people are under and be supportive. Certainly that is all we want to do and achieve with the referees. Having met Nigel on Friday, we want him to have an enjoyable experience coming to England and it is a shame if he feels that memory has been tarnished.
‘ I’m aware that there i s an investigation going on and rightly so. We applaud the stance the RFU are taking and the investigation.
‘We’ve worked hard in rugby to get the core values of the sport ingrained in the team and in rugby in general, so there is no place for this whatsoever. Respecting the kicker, respecting the opposition and all those things you see are important.’
RFU chief Ian Ritchie last night endorsed Lancaster’s vi ew, saying: ‘The RFU condemns all discrimination. We aim to ensure everyone has the opportunity to enjoy rugby in an environment free from all prejudices. We take allegations of abuse very seriously and are investigating. If we find sufficient evidence, we will take action.’
One f actor which possibly contributed to the ill-will towards Owens in the game was marginal refereeing decisions repeatedly being shown on the big screen. A particularly close call, which led to a try for New Zealand’s Aaron Cruden, prompted sustained anger among home fans after footage was shown several times.
After the game, New Zealand coach Steve Hansen decried what he suggested was a trend of TV producers dictating t he officiating process, in favour of the hosts, by screening contentious moments until there is a referral to the Television Match Official. In this case, the live feed was supplied by Sky.
Lancaster was at pains to emphasise this is not a matter of English propaganda at work, but a global issue. ‘Generally, there are more screens in stadiums now and more decisions that get replayed,’ he said. ‘In the South Africa v New Zealand game (during the Rugby Championship) there was an incident which was constantly replayed and Wayne Barnes’s attention was drawn to it.
‘He went back to look at it and it was a penalty. It is more for debate at a higher level about the rights and wrongs of that.
‘It is not exclusive to Twickenham. I don’t have any input at the moment (into what i s shown on the big screen). It is all new technology and it i s more a decision for the people who run the sport and the TMO debate has to be discussed as technological advances come in.
‘A l ot of countries have the high- definition screens and you can see replays from different angles. In football they don’t allow it at all. But it is not for me to decide or get involved in it in the middle of this series.’
Another disruption in t he build-up to tomorrow’s encounter is the news Samoa’s players have considered boycotting their match at Twickenham a week tomorrow, due to unrest over pay and alleged managerial incompetence.
However, Lancaster played down the threat, saying: ‘I was aware of it a couple of weeks ago as something that was potentially an issue, but my understanding is it has all been resolved.’