A female rugby official was verbally abused by a drunk supporter and Ossett RUFC player who shouted ‘get your baps out’ at the referee.
Casey Johnson was watching his team in action earlier this year when he made the comment which was found by the RFU to have been ‘prejudicial to the interests of the game.’ A disciplinary panel of English rugby’s governing body banned Johnson from playing, coaching and watching rugby for 32 weeks.
He also had to pay £125 in costs. The identity of the referee has been kept anonymous.
In their summary judgement of the incident, the RFU panel said the phrase used by Johnson was ‘abhorrent’ and ‘highly offensive.’ Johnson admitted he was ‘intoxicated’ and ‘had no real explanation for why he shouted the phrase’. His ban will expire on March 13 next year.
In the referee’s testimony to the RFU, she revealed how she had been ‘shocked’ by the comment made at her and that her hurt parents were in the crowd.
The RFU said: ‘It goes without saying that such a phrase shouted to a woman has no place in society, including rugby, and it plainly goes against rugby’s core values. It has the very real potential to impact on the participation of women in rugby and cannot be tolerated.’
A drunk supporter verbally abused a female referee during a rugby match earlier this year
Elsewhere, South Africa’s hopes of bouncing back from their shock Rugby Championship defeat by Australia have been hit by injuries to iconic captain Siya Kolisi and other key players.
The Springboks, who have won the last two World Cups, lost their No 1 ranking after conceding 38 unanswered points to the Wallabies at the weekend.
The two teams will meet again in Cape Town on Saturday. But Kolisi is out for four weeks with a knee problem while Pieter-Steph du Toit – the current World Rugby men’s player of the year – and wing Kurt-Lee Arendse are also set for spells on the sidelines.
First-choice backs Damian de Allende and Cheslin Kolbe are back fit, however.