Namibia RU: Lifetime playing ban for player who attacked referee
A club player in Namibia has been given a lifetime ban from playing rugby following an altercation with a referee last month. He has also been suspended from all forms of rugby – including coaching, refereeing and administration – for 156 weeks through to May 31, 2027.
It was May 18 when a player from the Grootfontein club ran towards the match referee and tackled him to the ground. The player was red-carded and the referee called off the match with immediate effect due to concerns for his safety.
A disciplinary hearing was convened 12 days later, on May 30, and after reviewing the referee’s report and video footage of the red-carded incident, it was decided to heavily penalise the offending player.
A video of the incident from the match versus the Falcons showed that play had stopped to allow the referee to reprimand another Grootfontein player when he was hit to the floor.
A social media statement by the Namibia Rugby Union read: “A serious incident occurred involving a Grootfontein Rugby Club player who tackled the match referee, causing the game to end prematurely.
“Following a disciplinary hearing, the NRU has issued a lifetime ban from playing rugby and a 156-week ban from all rugby activities, effective May 30.
“Our commitment to the safety and integrity of rugby remains unwavering. Full details and the right to appeal can be found in our statement.”
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They also use a far more consistent scale.
Rugby pass seem to have a different scale for each player based on the authors expectations or how much he likes them.
Can't fathom how Moodie and Reece both were a 3.
Go to commentsYes for sure, thanks for sharing. I fully understand that both parties are better off, no one needs to lose, neither competition suffers, in fact both can be better as a result.
Too many true rugby fans (and analysts) don't understand that.
I wouldn't imagine there is a date aye. It was a long decline rugby in SA and Australia was going through, and was so bad it even effected NZ, caused them to argue to can a couple of teams. The nation of SA probably grew into it? I know I watch more of the NH now specifically because of the SR teams playing there. I actually had to mention to Nick Bishop (because of his stubborn perspective) the other day that I've never been a fan of Super Rugby, I don't think they chose the right way to go about professionalism back in 1995. Unfortunately, NZR was stuck between a rock and a hard place, because it had SA's and Australians that ran their unions by States, so we had to separate into "two or three" teams as a result. Our game is in the kak now because of it, they want to kill off the lifeblood of our National Provincial Championship. But now we might see a way out of it, so it's all good.
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