RFU speak on Wasps-Sale affair

London Wasps went to play Sale Sharks at Edgeley Park in Stockport on November 27 in a Guinness Premiership match – refereed by the experienced David Rose. London Wasps said the pitch was dangerous and refused to play. There was an inquiry by the Premier Rugby Ltd (PRL) which found that it was the referee’s fault. Now there has been a supplementary statement from the RFU.

The RFU’s clarification goes out to all rugby in England. It makes the following points in the preamble:

1. The International Rugby Board Laws of the Game take precedence over any individual tournament or league regulations.

2. Referees must feel able to enforce them without fear of recrimination.

3. The panel that had blamed Rose had ruled on a legal technicality only.

4. A referee cannot force a team to play and the final decision on whether to play must be taken by the team itself.

The clarification in full: “Under the IRB Laws of the Game, if either team has objections about the ground they must tell the referee before the match starts. The referee must not start the match if he believes that the pitch is unfit to play and therefore potentially dangerous. The referee can also stop a match once it has started if he subsequently decides that it is unfit to play.

“If both teams believe the ground to be unsafe then the referee must not start the match. If one team believes the ground is safe and the other disagrees, the referee will attempt to resolve the issues between the two teams. If these issues cannot be resolved the referee shall give his opinion as to whether the ground is fit to play or not. However, for the avoidance of doubt, a referee cannot force a team to play. The decision as to whether to play or not must be taken by the team itself.

“The Guinness Premiership Regulations for season 2009/2010 do not in fact conflict with this position. Regulation 4.4 (j) does not state (nor should it state) that a referee can force a team to play if that team does not believe the pitch is fit to play. However in such circumstances, the team which refused to play may be subject to investigation for potentially failing to fulfil the fixture.”

This must all seem bewilderingly obvious.