Totally agree Col., also with joanne. There is a thread on the VT about why the game is on the decline. This is one reason why folk don't turn up to watch. Many people have told me, they look who the ref is going to be, and especially when his name (Kendall) turns up, they won't go and waste their money. And that is a fact. He was also the VR when he gave Bradford that try at the summer bash when they were a metre offside. Even the commies couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Perhaps we struggle to recruit people to become referees, because of the abuse they receive from low life fans. As a result of verbally abusing referees, the standard of referees becomes lower.

Who was the mouthy fat guy in the red top giving it large behind Kendall?

The standard of the way it's run is crap. e.g. Why does it take a VR ,5 takes to make his mind up? It's fookin embarrassing, and that's just a fraction of the incompetence we have to endure.

Gerry Kershaw needed a police escort at every game he reffed. The mentality or perception people have of abusing a ref isn’t any different to Kershaws generation.

Hicks,Thaler all of them will receive abuse of some form on a bad call. How they deal with it is part of refereeing as with all sports.

Referee abuse starts in Junior rugby, Clubs don’t give young refs the protection they deserve. Some of the coaches are disgusting and screaming mothers are a nightmare.
“Did you see that ref, high tackle in my lad, you f’in blind t..t”

Then to son, “Rip his f’in head off “

Personally I find grown men and women shouting abuse at referees, be it at professional level or amateur junior rugby an embarrassment, multiple video referee replays is a slight irritation.

The fans need to call others out on abusing referee to help put a stop to it at both professional and junior level.

Refs calling players on first name terms is were it started. Again you are looking for answers that have been in place before.

The destiny of this sport has changed to cater for others,but they forgot the heritage of the sport.

Now you want change.

Can you explain that, it is a bit obtuse. Do you reckon refs using first names predate abuse at Junior level?

Refs using first names is a bad idea, very, very bad idea...should stop it in League ASAP!

You say Sir/Miss at school. That’s then carried on with the Sports teacher who is Sir/Miss. Sir refs the game,he’s Sir.

That respect was always carried through as I played from my point of view. He never once spoke any first names. Only surnames and numbers.

What about coaches, such as McDermott choosing to use a pre match conferences to switch spectators focus on to the referee performance rather than the Quarter Final match itself. His comments certainly placed the referee under extra scrutiny, including from myself more than I would ever be inclined to do so previously. I think it should be outlawed and any head coach referring to how a game should be officiated pre match, during or post match should be landed with a disrepute charge and fined heavily.

Referees and the game deserve better.

That’s fine but my comments were about referee abuse from junior coaches and players which then sets the example to the players. Referees don’t/can’t use first names because they don’t know them. A lot of young referees are lost to the game because of unpunished club officials and parents.

Well if he we can’t compete with mind games we are doomed.