SharkSmart against school abuse
The SharkSmart programme has taken a firm stand against a surge of problems that have surfaced in schoolboy rugby in recent weeks and has threatened to strip affiliate schools of their accreditation should they fail to deal with incidents of abuse of players and officials at school matches appropriately.
In the wake of the recent exposure of several overage school rugby players in KwaZulu-Natal, this past weekend again saw officials being verbally and physically abused as well as a racially triggered on-field mass brawl triggered.
The match between Pinetown Boys' High School and Voortrekker High School came to a standstill after spectators ran onto the field to deal with a brawl that started between players from both sides after a dangerous tip-tackle followed by a racial insult saw tempers explode.
Throughout the match the referee was the subject of persistent and unwarranted verbal abuse from sections of the crowd despite having been praised by most for the standard of his work.
The schools have reacted strongly to the incidents, with Voortrekker banning a player.
In a separate incident on the weekend, a Maritzburg College boy who was officiating as a touch judge in the first fifteen game against Westville was reportedly abused after making a correct touchline call which prevented the home side from scoring.
The pupil, who is a fully qualified referee with the Maritzburg sub-union, was allegedly pelted with missiles thrown by Westville supporters and then had a rugby ball thrown into his face by one of the Westville players.
Westville Boys' High School Director of Sport, Grant Bell said: "These are serious allegations which have been brought to our attention and we will investigate what happened on Saturday thoroughly. Should anyone be found to be guilty of such actions then we will act accordingly.
"We have a code of conduct for the players printed in our programme which is distributed at all home games outlining what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour and these same guidelines should apply to spectators as well."
"We urge everyone who supports rugby on our premises, or anywhere else for that matter, to do so in an appropriate and sportsmanlike manner and to treat both the players and officials with the utmost respect," he added.
While schools complete their investigations into the incidents on the weekend, SharkSmart, to which Voortrekker, Maritzburg College and Westville are all affiliated through the Schools of Excellence programme, has made it clear that schools condoning or found to be unwilling to act appropriately against concrete evidence of abuse, will be ejected from the programme.
SharkSmart director Dr Glen Hagemann said: "It is imperative that transgressions like these are dealt with and dealt with decisively at schoolboy level,. Not only is schoolboy rugby a precious asset to the game at a national level, but schools are also where the attitudes and morals of our future adults are molded."
"Discovery SharkSmart has a clear code of conduct, summarised by the slogan 'Play Safe, Play Fair'. Each of the twenty schools that are affiliated to our programme signs an agreement to adhere to each and every element of this code," he added.
"Where a school is found to have flouted that agreement, either actively or by failing to deal with incidents that might occur, then we will have no hesitation in withdrawing that school's SharkSmart accreditation.
"At the core of this code is respect. Respect for your opponent, respect for the referee and respect for the game. Incidents of abuse of a referee, whether by a player or a spectator is unacceptable, and those that care about the game need to take an active step to stop this when it happens.
"The same applies to racist taunts at a rugby match, whether from a player or from the sidelines. There is simply no place for this in any sport whatsoever, and we will be looking to schools where these incidents are reported to have happened to thoroughly investigate and, where there is clear evidence to support these claims, to act clearly and decisively.
"Schools have a responsibility to control the behaviour of their spectators," he added. "Sadly it is generally a very small minority of spectators who get involved in this sort of unacceptable behaviour at schoolboy rugby matches. It has a severe impact on that school's image, and I hope that the school, or even other parents present, will have the courage to stamp this out when it starts.
"The abuse of referees attacks the core of what the Discovery SharkSmart code is all about. The game cannot exist without referees and the ref deserves respect from players, coaches and spectators alike.
"Abusing a referee is probably the most selfish act a rugby fan can perpetrate. In almost every case the person abusing the referee has never reffed a game, nor have they ever taken a step towards volunteering to join a referees' society.
"If the abuse of refs leads to more refs refusing to take charge of matches, then the game will die. It is as simple as that.
"Schoolboy rugby in KwaZulu-Natal has an incredible heritage, and the passion that underscores the game is a real asset. We need to make sure that all that passion and energy is channelled in a positive direction, all the time."
* More info about the Discovery SharkSmart programme can be found at www.sharksmart.co.za and anyone interested in joining the Durban Referees Society can contact Allan O'Connell on 083 251 5539 or 083 251 5539, or visit www.sareferees.com