The first sin bin?

Recently we published a tentative article on the history of the sin bin and sanctionary cards in rugby. Naas Ferreira, a Pretoria lawyer who was a provincial referee in the Seventies, tells the story of the first use of the sin bin on 10 April 1975.

The South African Referees' Society held its course at Newlands on 7-9 April 1975. This came after the tour by the 1974 Lions and their 99 call to arms.

During the course a new "law" was announced and discussed. The law had previously been discussed in the press and it was expected that the course would get it started.

I know that IRB permission was required to test the cooler in South Africa.

The course decided that the cooler would be behind the posts but that Newlands could decide where to place it.

I remember 10 April 1975 well because it was the only occasion on which Carlton League matches were postponed because of rain. It rained hard that morning and Buurman van Zyl persuaded Fritz Eloff, the president, to postpone the matches. Buurman's Police side were due to play Tukkies and they had just come back from the Club Championship in Durban. Prof Eloff agreed to Buurman's request and admitted afterwards that it was one of his biggest mistakes. To make matters worse the sun came out at midday.

In those years the Carlton League matches were all played at Loftus Versfeld and the lower-league matches at the clubs.

I was appointed to referee the Reserve League match between Oostelikes and Pretoria at Oostelikes.   Because the matches at Loftus were off, there was a bigger crowd than usual at the clubs.

I may just mention that there had been a lot of criticism of the cooler law from former Springboks during the week. They said that rugby was becoming a game for sissies. Louis Schmidt had a column in a local paper and was particularly harsh and outspoken.

The old men were against open fighting but believed that there should be a place in the game for settling differences. Louis Schmidt was a member of Oostelikes and Stompie van der Merwe, another critic of the cooler, was a member of Pretoria.

The law was to come into operation on 10 April 1975, the day after the course. There was a difference of opinion on the field and an ill-aimed punch or two.

Immediately some players of each team came rushing in. I blew hard on the whistle and fortunately the two stopped fighting with two approaching players about a metre away.

I said to the approaching duo: "Where do you think you're going? It's their fight, not yours. Off you two go to the cooler." Then I said to the fighters:  "Stop your nonsense."

On the Monday the former Springboks were full of praise for the new law. Schmidt wrote: "If that's how the law is to be applied, I welcome it."

I have no doubt that this incident was the first of the use of the cooler as I did not hear of any other incidents on that day.

Because that law was first applied in South Africa, this incident was a world first.