SharkSmart school bans boy
Voortrekker High School of Pietermaritzburg has banned one of its rugby players found guilty of racial abuse in a first team match against Pinetown Boys' High School on the weekend, as part of a concerted effort to combat unsportsmanlike conduct at high school rugby matches.
A brawl erupted following a spear tackle incident, which was followed by a racial taunt from a Voortrekker backline player. After reviewing evidence and consulting the referee in charge of the match the school has banned the boy involved from all rugby for the entire time that he is a pupil at Voortrekker.
Headmaster Jan Nel siad: "Voortrekker has for many years been known for the good, hard, clean rugby that we've played and this behaviour from coaches, players and parents will not be tolerated."
Nel has also vowed to make sure that the school communicates with their supporters on an ongoing basis to ensure that abuse from the sidelines, whether targeted at players or the referees and linesmen on duty, does not occur.
The swift and firm action from the school has been praised by SharkSmart, which had earlier in the week threatened to suspend the accreditation of any of its affiliate schools if they were found to be acting against the mutually agreed upon SharkSmart Code of Conduct.
SharkSmart director Dr Glen Hagemann said: "This action from Voortrekker should set an excellent example to other schools, and to those who are perpetrators of the ongoing abuse that is becoming a worrying trend in schoolboy rugby.
"Schoolboy rugby is a major asset to this region, not only because the standard is so high, but also because it can play a powerful part in teaching the principles of fair play that are fundamental to the Discovery SharkSmart programme," he added.
"Where those critical boundaries of fair play are crossed, it is imperative that the school takes a firm and clear stand on the issue, not only to sanction the individuals involved, but to also send a clear message to every learner in the school that this sort of behaviour is simply unacceptable and wont be tolerated.
"I applaud Mr Nel and the Voortrekker staff for their decisive action."
He added that the much of the responsibility for dealing with abuse from spectators lies with other spectators. Hagemann said: "When a person starts abusing a player on the field or the referee or touch judge, it is often a difficult situation to police.
"In my experience when another spectator has the courage to stand up and challenge the abuser, letting them know that their behaviour is not acceptable, they often back down, and walk away having learnt a lesson in the process.
I would encourage genuine fans of the game to play a part in stopping this sideline abuse, without becoming confrontational."
