For referees
Respect & match official abuse
Abuse of match officials is never part of the game. Here's how incidents are reported, and what SNRR does about them.
If you feel unsafe, stop the match. You are not obliged to continue a fixture where you or the players are at risk. Abandoning a match is a legitimate decision — report it afterwards and SNRR will back you.
On the day
- Deal with it under the Laws. Foul play, dissent and misconduct are sanctionable — use the cards. Team officials and spectators are the responsibility of the home club; ask the ground manager or club official to act.
- Make a note while it's fresh. Time, score, teams, what was said or done, and who was involved.
- Tell someone. Don't drive home and sit on it. Contact the Head of Match Officials or the President — same day if it was serious.
Reporting it
Send-offs and serious incidents are lodged through Rugby Xplorer. The template below is a useful reference for what to record before you file.
- Send-Off Report Template (PDF) ↓
- Foul Play — Law extract (PDF) ↓
- Respect Rugby Manual (PDF) ↓
- Rugby Australia — codes & policies (Code of Conduct, Member Protection) ↗
- NSW Rugby — refereeing ↗
What SNRR does
Reports are taken seriously and are handled by the Head of Match Officials with the committee. Depending on what happened, that can mean raising it with the club, escalating to the competition body or NSW Rugby, or supporting a formal judiciary process.
You will not be left to deal with a club on your own, and you will not be quietly dropped from appointments for reporting something. If a fixture or a club is a problem, tell us — that information changes who we appoint and where.
Younger referees
Many of our members are teenagers. If you're a young referee, or a parent of one: report anything that made you uncomfortable, however small it seems. A parent or guardian is welcome to contact us on your behalf, and is welcome at the ground.
Feeling knocked around by an incident? That's normal, and there's support — see wellbeing.