Player, 11, suspended
His offence? Attacking a referee!
The incident happened in June 2015 at a match played at the at the Papatoetoe Sports Centre in South Auckland between Papatoetoe and Marist Eastern Junior Rugby. Both clubs are affiliated to the Auckland Rugby Union. In fact Papatoetoe is the fifth biggest club in the union.
In the second half the referee showed the player a yellow card for a high tackle. According to a witness, the player was walking towards the posts when he turned and made a rude gesture in the direction of the referee who had his back to him. The player then charged at the referee from behind, grabbed him around the neck and felled him. Player and referee were on the ground when the player is alleged to have punched the referee.
there was a hearing in July and on Thursday the Auckland Rugby Union handed the two-and-half-year ban down to the player.
The club are likely to appeal against the sentence, which they feel is harsh.
No adult responsible for the boy's behaviour was suspended!
It seems that a wiser way of dealing with a player guilty of a high tackle would be to call his coach onto the field and discuss the matter. The boy could then walk off with his coach for the sin-binning. Brandishing a yellow card may not be the best way of dealing with a juvenile offender.
