Loose Pass: ‘Abhorrent’ amount of referee abuse in New Zealand and concussion case enters ‘unprecedented territory’
New Zealand referee Ben O'Keeffe and an inset of ex-England hooker Steve Thompson.
This week we will mostly be concerning ourselves with concussion, Europe’s shiny new club tournament and the concerning re-emergence of referee abuse…
Concussion case drags on
There’s that phrase, dragging something through the courts, and then there’s the class actions being brought by the 561 claimants – from both codes of rugby – against the RFU, WRU and World Rugby in one case and Rugby Football League and British Amateur Rugby League Association in another.
It’s taken six years and has racked up millions of pounds already in fees to get to a point at which Senior Master Cook has decided that he is now in – in the truest sense of the word – unprecedented territory. Around 95 per cent of the claimants (and it is only the first batch of claimants; a similar number is waiting in the wings) are thought not to have complied with a court order to disclose all available documents relating to their neurological testing. Through no fault of their own, it should be added, rather the blame has been laid at the feet of the lead solicitor in the claimants’ case, who appears to have been overwhelmed by the demands.
But what happens now is anybody’s guess. Mr. Cook’s sympathies lie with the claimants insofar as he has said they are not responsible for the deficiencies in the documentation, while the claimants also argue that the thousands of documents that have been provided paint a clear enough picture.
The conundrum arises from the fact that even if 95 per cent of the claimants’ submissions are slightly insufficient, there are still five per cent – so let’s say around 35 – claimants with complete submissions and cases to be heard. And were they to be successful, does that precedent then apply to the rest? Mr. Cook has already said that simply striking out those insufficiently-documented claims may deny those claimants recourse to rightful justice.
And in the meantime, on it goes. Steve Thompson still struggles to remember his childrens’ names. Others soldier on through depression and anxiety and recurring symptoms long after their careers are over and are physically unable to move on. New solicitors are being talked to, with the potential for them to take over the case for the players. But nothing really moves.
How long it takes from here is not worth speculating; the court is due to break for summer next Friday, so no decision before that would mean it would be probably two more months before we even know what the next step would be. By that time all the teams will be back in pre-season and we’ll all be busy watching the Greatest Ever Rivalry Tour. But spare a thought for those affected by neurodegenerative problems already proven to have been caused by contact sport, whose fight for some form of compensatory recognition goes on. And on.
Europe’s Ascent
Also by the end of August, an intriguing new club competition in Europe will be underway. Ascent Rugby, the brainchild of four Germans – two of them recently-retired internationals – is bringing together seven club sides from five countries (Germany and the Netherlands with two each, as well as one each from Poland, the Czech Republic and Belgium) to create a competition a level up from the respective domestic leagues – not dissimilar in nature to a Champions Cup.
Germany will be represented by Frankfurt, who have been German champions at a canter for the last three years, as well as a team called ‘Vanguard’ which will bring together a number of locally-raised talents. The Dukes and Eemland will represent the Netherlands, Tatra Smichov from the Czech Republic, Pogon Siedlce will be Poland’s team and Belgium will provide Boitsfort, a team from Brussels. All seven teams are laced with international players from the respective countries.
But most interesting is the format. The teams will play in one-day, three-game festivals, kicking off in Frankfurt on August 22 and followed by ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands a week later. The rest of the schedule is still open, as the teams will have to fit it all around both domestic league and Rugby Europe international tournament requirements. It will surely make following it and understanding it significantly easier for the interested, and it will be fascinating to see if the format can create a similar success story to the similar trial that Super Rugby used this season on ANZAC weekend in Christchurch.
One to watch.
Referee abuse back in the spotlight
Props to World Rugby for deciding that Argentina’s over-reaction to the dramatic finale, and the subsequent hassling of Angus Gardner, warranted sanctioning. But sadly, it’s not just in Argentina.
Two weeks ago, all club rugby in the Wellington region of New Zealand was brought to a standstill as the officials downed whistles in protest at the unacceptable levels of abuse being reported.
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There had been 19 formal reports of abuse by the time the strike was called, eight of them from players, five from coaches and six from spectators.
Referees might not always come across so, but they are a patient bunch and are ready to accept a certain level of displeasure with calls they make. Disagreements are part of the job and it would be astonishingly naïve to think otherwise. But 19 formal reports for half a season in one region is an abhorrent number. And they are the region that took a stand; how many others are going unrecorded or unsupported?
We get it, the world is in an odd place at the moment. People are tense. But surely that is reason for rugby to be an outlet of fun rather than rage?
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