D'Arcy Waldegrave: Sportstalk host on Horowhenua-Kāpiti Rugby Union postponing rugby games after referee abused

Horowhenua-Kāpiti Rugby Union chief executive Corey Kennett says he is drawing a line in the sand by canning all rugby matches this weekend after a referee was so seriously abused he had to be escorted to his car over safety fears.

Last month, the union said in response to escalating abuse towards match officials - highlighted by a person threatening to stab a referee - that they would cancel all senior club games if behaviour didn’t improve.

Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Darcy Watergrave Sports Talalk hoasters with me right now?

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Hello, Darcy, Hey, Liz, Chrispy.

Speaker 1 (00:07):
Okay, this is weird.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Okay, So the cancelation of all the games in Howda
Finett and Carpety good move.

Speaker 1 (00:11):
Do you support it?

Speaker 3 (00:13):
Yeah? I do? And incidentally, ladies and gentlemen, we found
each other's middle names out. That's what I called it.
He called me Christ so people know inside jokes.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
Aristocrat.

Speaker 3 (00:22):
I think it's a great idea. My big issue here
is not that horror for newer company have to make
this decision, not that college Rugby Wellington backing it up
and made some more moves. My problem here is INSI
are run the game of this country, right, don't they?

Speaker 1 (00:40):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Their game? Right?

Speaker 1 (00:41):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Okay, so tell me why ho corpity Rugby, this little
tiny pu right, Why are they doing this? Why did
they have to do this? Why are they suddenly standing
there going you know what, We're going to draw a
line because we believe this is wrong for our community,
it's wrong for a game. We're not putting up with it.
Where it ins it are they seem to have to

(01:03):
resolve that said thoughts and prayers. Basically, we support them
this is great. Now you lead the game. This is
your job. This is your role is to look after
the grassroots of the game because without that we don't
have superstars. We need to look after it. They need
to roll and they need to issue edicts like this one. Okay,
we're not putting out with this anymore. This happens anywhere

(01:24):
in the country that whole pu we shut their rugby
down from the next weekend and then suddenly there's a
ground swell and mums and dads and people go, oh,
this really is actually starting to effect us. So suddenly
there are a lot of people standing there going not
on our watch because at the moment, people are too
afraid to do it.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
All right, So you think that basically, if it gets
taken off the people, the people will police the game themselves.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
I think so.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
Now, okay, fair enough.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
Do you understand that the altercation was, rather than being
between the mums and dads on the side of the field,
was actually between the reef and one of the coaches.

Speaker 3 (01:57):
Yeah, that's it, And it was then there was from
the sideline. There were dramas and driven at the referee.
There were issues with the team. So that is not
parental driven. But what it is is they as a result,
I think the overarching result when people are with their

(02:19):
teams and with their coaches saying we don't do this anymore. Yeah,
it's the pressure. We're not joining your clubs.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
This is what has been has been said on our
station today. And you tell me if this is what
you understand. What happened was that Mona College was leading
the game. You can clarify.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
Any of these points could be wrong, right, I wasn't
there hard to believe you love your rugby that much?

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Okay, So Mona College was leading, the game went on,
the crowd felt that the final whis still should.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
Have been blown. It wasn't blown.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
In that time, Carpeti College managed to score a try
and because of that, that is why there was an
altercation between the coach of them now using team and
the referee. And there was apparently either a shovel or punch.

Speaker 3 (03:05):
That's what I believe how that got initiated, I don't know.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
You don't know who threw the shovel to punch.

Speaker 3 (03:10):
No, or what contributed to that. You don't even have
a situation. My side, your side, The truth of three
sides to every story what fired it up to a degree?
Was it a referee's late decision that should have been
accepted by everybody because that's the nature of refereeing. Yes,
did the opposing coach or the players have a crack
at the referee for what they thought was the incorrect decision?

(03:32):
Did that crack cause the referee to crack back? Was it?
Did they flip them the bird or a full blown
punch to the face. We don't know because we weren't there,
but I think that when push comes to shove, the referees'
decision is fair and final and if you don't like it,
bad luck, wear it.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
Okay, Thank you Darcy. We are going to talk to
New Zealand Rugby about half past five, so.

Speaker 3 (03:58):
It's fantastic and I'll talk to the chairman one from
Rugby Referees as well, and we're going to mister Brian
Dickinson who runs College Sport in Wellington and talk to
them about their decision. What's to happen next? That's all
coming up tonight from seven.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
Brilliant You wonderful, Thank you Darcy.

Speaker 2 (04:12):
Darcy Crispin Waldgrave sports stalk host seven o'clock tonight.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive.

Speaker 2 (04:18):
Listen live to news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio