Sam Cane praises referee Ben O’Keeffe’s stand against online abuse
All Blacks skipper Sam Cane has jumped to the defence of referee Ben O’Keeffe after the official opened up on the abuse he has received from fans.
Earlier this week O’Keeffe spoke about the abuse he received after the Super Rugby Pacific Final that saw Cane’s Chiefs fall short against the Crusaders.
Online abuse
The tension had already begun on the day as Chiefs fans booed the match officials as they took to the stage to receive their medals. The top New Zealand referee then took to Instagram days later, opening up about abuse he received online.
O’Keeffe then went one step further and lifted the lid on his post-match review process and even discussed some of his decisions.
🗣️ "That was a clear forward pass that we missed from the Crusaders. It's my responsibility to get that."
🇳🇿 Ben O'Keeffe has commented on the #SuperRugbyPacific final and the abuse he received.https://t.co/uzBFSlR8xs
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) June 27, 2023
Importance of referees
Cane, who received a yellow card late on in the final that turned out to be decisive, defended O’Keeffe and underlined how important the role of match officials is in the game. The leader also commended the referee for taking a stand against abuse.
“They do an outstanding job in what’s probably one of the toughest jobs in sport, and they play such a vital role from the grassroots all the way up to our footy,” Cane told the Rock radio station.
“There’s an old saying that you don’t have a game without them. And no-one deserves to cop that sort of abuse, everyone goes out there to do the very best that they can. They’re no different to us as players, they’ve got to make split-second decisions
“So we’re lucky to have such a quality ref like Ben here in New Zealand, and I’m pleased to see that he’s called out that sort of behaviour.”
O’Keeffe’s next assignment is the Rugby Championship opener between the Springboks and Wallabies at Loftus Versfeld on July 8.
After the southern hemisphere tournament, he has been selected as one of the referees for the Rugby World Cup in France which is rapidly approaching.