Send Off and the Judiciary A referees Guide

Preparation  We all ensure that we are properly prepared for the game. We have our referees uniform, boots, a whistle (spare whistle) and watch. Most of us will prepare ourselves mentally and ensure that we are physically fit enough to do a good job. But how many of us think about what we will do if a serious incident of foul play occurs during the game?

Preparation (con’t)  How will we manage it, get the right result and get the players thinking about rugby again?

The Incident So the offence has occurred and you have a perfect view of what happened? What do we do next? (1)Blow the whistle hard, loud and long. (2) Make sure you are in a good position to see what happens next and continue to watch the players and any reactions (3 rd man in, offences by other players. (3) Separate the teams.

The incident (con’t) (4) Calm yourself and give yourself time to recall what you have just seen? (5)Talk to the touch judges and obtain their versions of what they seen. (6) Call out the captain(s) and advise him (her/or them) that you wish to speak to colour and number (7 blue). (7) If more than one player involved speak to them all individually

The incident (con’t) (8) Clearly advise the captain and the player of what you have seen and inform them that you will be issuing a red card for the offense of……. (9)Mentally note any comments made by the captain or player(s). (10) Whilst the player is leaving the field use your notepad to make notes that will assist your memory of what occurred

Notes We don’t want to hold up the game for to long so what notes should I make? We don’t want to hold up the game for to long so what notes should I make? (1)Time of incident (2)Offence (something short like dangerous tackle, punching) (3)Colour (or team) and number of player. (4)Number and team of player infringed (punched blue 2 or dangerous tackle on green 4) (5)Any comments made, “your joking ref?” Are you serious?”

The report  Law 6.A.13 states, “If a player is sent off the referee gives the match organiser a written report on the foul play infringement as soon as possible.  Law 6.B.7 states, If a player has been sent off following a touch judge’s signal, the touch judge submits a written report about the incident to the referee as soon as possible after the match and provides it to the match organiser

The report (con’t)  Filling out the report: This is where you will be glad that you had your notebook with you.  Sections of the report. These are the most basic details of the report  Unfortunately even the most basic details can sometimes be left out of reports and on occasions the wrong player has been required to front the judiciary as a result. What happens then?

The report (con’t)  Section 5: Ground and weather conditions. Overcast conditions, the field was dry with an even grass cover extending to all parts of the playing enclosure. This is not the races, “fine and fast” is not a description.  Section 6: Time into match when incident occurred. To make it easy lets use the actual time 1 st grade 1-40 and nd grade 1-35 and 36-70

The report (con’t)  Section 7: Had the player been previously warned? Only needs a brief description eg. Spoken to on the run regarding questionable tackling technique.  Section 8: Had a caution/yellow card been issued to the player? This is nice and easy just Yes or No.  Section 9: For what offence was the Caution/Yellow card issued. Eg. Law 10.4(a) Punching or striking

The report (con’t)  Section 10: Reason(s) for which player(s) were sent off. This is where you indicate the offence that occurred. You must put the full offence on the report Law 10.4(a) Punching or striking. If there was more than one offence you should list them all.

The report (con’t)  Section 11: The offence was (Minor/Major): Don’t be afraid to give your opinion. State a reason why the offence is viewed as minor/major.  Section 12: The offence occurred at a: Pretty simple, ruck, maul, lineout or open play etc.  Section 13: Pre and Post comments describing the circumstances: We should clearly explain in full detail what has occurred. It should be set out in chronological order from start to finish and provide enough evidence to support the offence now before the judiciary.  Section 14: Where did the incident occur on the field and where were you in relation to the incident: This should already be listed in your report but it provides easy reference for the judiciary.

The report (con’t)  Section 15: Player(s)/Captains reaction after being sent off. Again this should be listed in the narrative of the report however it provides the judiciary with an easy reference when dealing with the matter.  Sections 16 & 17: Referees signature, date and contact phone number. The report must be signed to verify the contents and identify the referee concerned. A contact phone number has to be listed on the form with the number provided being one which will enable the judiciary to contact you on the night of the hearing if they need to.

Conclusion  Now lets think back to the video you watched at the start of the presentation and see how much you remember.