Ex-Irish ref boss calls on IRFU to hand down statement punishment to Bundee Aki and show ‘just how serious they are about abuse’
Bundee Aki getting yellow carded for Connacht and the centre in action for Ireland.
Former Test referee Owen Doyle has urged the IRFU to take even stronger action against Bundee Aki after he was banned ahead of the Six Nations.
Earlier in the week, it was announced that the experienced centre had been dropped from the Ireland squad ahead of the upcoming tournament after comments directed at the match officials during Connacht’s defeat to Leinster.
He was then banned by an independent disciplinary panel for four matches, which takes in the opening three rounds of the Six Nations, but the IRFU have also opened an internal investigation.
Still in contention for Ireland
Ireland coach Andrew Goodman has not ruled out Aki returning for the latter stages but Doyle believes a firm message needs to be sent to those who overstep the mark when speaking to referees.
“Now, the IRFU – who rightly are conducting their own investigation – do have the option of suspending the player for all of the Six Nations, and that would show everybody just how serious they are about referee abuse. They should step up to the mark,” he wrote in his Irish Times column.
“Some would undoubtedly opine that such a sanction would be too severe, but don’t forget that England’s Dylan Hartley copped 11 weeks as a result of nasty verbal abuse to Wayne Barnes, who unhesitatingly red carded the player.
“As a result Hartley missed the 2013 Lions tour. It showed us that no player is bigger than the game. Incidentally, it resulted in a call-up for Ireland’s Rory Best.”
Bernard Jackman: Bundee Aki outburst part of widespread Ireland referee problem
As well as being an ex-international official, Doyle was also director of referees at the IRFU for two decades between 1995 and 2015.
He believes that there has been a rise in players undermining the authority of the referee throughout the professional game, but has particularly noticed an increase in Ireland.
Tougher punishment for players
Doyle therefore thinks that tougher sanctions could quell the backchat and help the refs deal with this problem.
“While it is not by any means solely an Irish problem, the last couple of years have seen a ridiculous, appalling amount of questioning, shouting, screaming and gesticulating at match officials,” he wrote.
“Referees need to penalise this behaviour the first time it happens, rather than a no-sanction warning to the offender or the captain; it seems that Cross had earlier spoken to Connacht captain Cian Prendergast about Aki.
“The penalty should also, if necessary, be accompanied by an appropriately coloured card. There are protocols for just about everything nowadays, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to design a system that would fit this problem. Zero tolerance is a must.”
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