Respecting the Match Official: Are We Going Backwards?

When I began following Rugby Union back in 2012 one of the most endearing factors about the sport, alongside the crunching tackles and sensational last-minute tries, was the atmosphere of utmost respect towards officials. I remember vividly the scenes of muscly props and six-foot-something second rowers standing subserviently beside officials half their size, listening intently and complying without question. In the beginning, the scene was very alien to a person from a footballing background, chiefly as this was something you simply would not have seen. You still don't. Quickly though, I learnt that this was completely ingrained into the DNA of every rugby player and in fact was demanded of them by their coaches and supporters. The latter, I think, was most surprising to me. Whereas in Football officials were commonly the target of hateful abuse or racist remarks by supporters, there was little or none of this prevalent in Rugby Union. Rugby wore this core value of respect as a badge of honour and rightly so - it was a forward thinking and progressive notion. That is not to say officials were without criticism and fans, as fans do, still expressed disappointment at officiating decisions. Yet even in this, in the most heated moments of cup finals, it always appeared to me to be done in a constructive and fair manner. I loved it. It was this very issue that was making my relationship with football ever more uneasy, and to find a sport in which fans of all teams could come together to enjoy a game and be respectful to match officials was simply intoxicating.

As I write in 2021, I feel that the rugby I started following just nine years ago has undergone significant change. Some good, and some bad. That said, I worry we are moving backwards at a significant speed and the respect for officials that I was so used to seeing is being eroded away. Nowhere is this more clearly visible than across social media platforms. Those of you that read my previous article will note how I discussed a period of time between the women's semi-finals and final where I was caught up in the positive rugby fever that was rife across Twitter and Instagram. Yet this feeling of optimism and mutual respect plummeted very quickly after Fiji lost their semi-final in extra time to New Zealand. Suddenly the comradery which I so admired was virtually gone - replaced by aggressive (and passive aggressive) comments and threats. Not only this, but I was also horrified to see certain individuals 'tagging' match officials in order to publicly ridicule them for mistakes that were made during the game. Yes, admittedly, there were mistakes. I ask, however, is this what our sport, that demanded so much respect for its officials, has come to? Are we now to join the footballing mob that abuses its referees? My example is one of a great many but it is particularly poignant that a majority, and not a minority, of those that commented on the match result did so in a negative and criticising way of the match official in question. The reality is, the ‘small few’ as they are referred to, are becoming bigger and bigger in number.

However big a part to play social media has in the decline of respect for match officials, to say that it is the sole source would be very short sighted. In my first season as a Wasps season ticket holder, during the 2018-19 season, I remember attending a match at the Ricoh Arena (now Coventry Building Society Arena). During the match there was a particular "supporter" who verbally abused the match officials for a large proportion of the game. Fortunately, the individual in question was thrown out and presumably banned from future games. Never before had I seen this level of outward abuse so clearly at a rugby game. To me, it set a worrying precedent. Was this just one idiot, or did this guy's antics symbolise a real shift in attitudes?  I do have one theory. 

The commercialisation of rugby which has taken place for a good number of years has projected it further than it has ever been before. The years between 2012 and 2017 saw a rise in average attendances for Home Matches in the English Rugby Premiership. Stat Bunker puts the average attendance at 12,361 in 2012 which had risen to 15,246 by the end of the 16/17 season. 17/18 to the end of 2020 did see a small decline; the 19/20 season was significantly affected by the Coronavirus Pandemic. What this stat does not consider, of course, is the television statistics which would have skyrocketed during the Pandemic as fans were unable to attend. However, I believe that the growing exposure of Rugby Union, including ever more expanding television coverage has led to a greater influx of fans from other sports into Rugby Union. This is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the growth of the sport is a positive and necessary step for its continued success. As a person that entered Rugby later on from a Football background, I do see the benefits. Yet on the other hand, I fear we are seeing the taint of disrespect and abuse of officials found in other sports is starting to embed itself in the culture of Rugby Union. I worry that the Rugby Union of the 2031/32 season will look very different to the one I have come to know and love. Sadly, I believe the prevailing picture of the respectful rugby supporter, that demands the same of their players, is beginning to blur.