I recently watched a game of Rugby that went down to the last bounce of the ball before one team prevailed.
After the final whistle was blown the crowd streamed onto the ground and the referee was assaulted. I have read about this happening in other sports, and in other countries, but never have I seen this happen in our sport. I still cannot believe that the referee was assaulted.
Rugby, the game they play in heaven, built on tradition and respect, played for enjoyment where courage, discipline and sportsmanship are championed, must now respond.
Our game has many rules but the rules that are unwritten are the most important. These are the rules of respect. The first rule to respect yourself: play with personal pride, respect your own talent and work hard to fulfill your potential, have the strength of character to do the right thing in all situations. The second rule is to respect the other players: your team mates and the opposition, for we are all striving for the same goal, to run, pass and tackle with our friends for enjoyment. The third rule of respect is to respect the referee: respect the referee’s decisions, respect that on the field the referee is treated as one would treat an all knowing, omni-present elder whose impartial interpretations are above reproach. And finally we are to respect our traditions: respect the jersey we are playing in, respect the club or school we are representing, respect all that has gone before us and all that is yet to pass.
It is a heavy responsibility being a Rugby player. We are part of a family who are responsible for keeping these virtues alive. And it is the teams who honour these unwritten rules that have the most success. Any team that trains with the effort that shows respect for themselves and their team mates during the week, will arrive on Saturday with belief and confidence to play a game for pure enjoyment. One of the great rugby tournaments played each year is the Golden Oldies tourney where the teams do not even keep score. Where the game is played not only for enjoyment but also to uphold our rugby traditions and virtues.
And respect for our referees is part of our game which we are most proud of. Only the captain talks to the referee and the referee’s decision is final is a maxim that is mentioned before all games. So when a referee is assaulted after a match, I find it is our game that is being attacked. And who better to defend our game than our Rugby family. It is the responsibility of organisers to have adequate security but ultimately the responsibility rests with us. We have to educate those who do not know our unwritten rules about our ways. About sportsmanship, tradition, self-disciple and most of all, RESPECT.
