Australian rugby player receives one of the longest suspensions in the history of the game for assaulting a referee

The moment immediately after the attack when referee Ian Sunderland is on the ground. Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald

A player from Western Australia has received one of the longest bans in rugby union history after being found guilty of assaulting a referee during a match in the region's premier club competition.

The Perth Bayswater Rugby Club player, who was not named in the Rugby Western Australia (RugbyWA) statement confirming the sanctions, has received a 96-match ban, equivalent to approximately five years of play, the most rigorous available under World Rugby laws since attack in April.

A viewer video shows the player shouldering referee Ian Sunderland in the back, who knocks him down next to the ball carrier.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the blind referee did not take any action on the field, considering the player's actions to be accidental, but the contact was reconsidered after the testimony of witnesses and video evidence.

After the incident, the unnamed player can consider himself lucky that RugbyWA did not impose a permanent ban. According to the laws of World Rugby, a player's disqualification could be from 96 weeks to life. According to the Herald, the player's remorse and other extenuating circumstances avoided a harsher sentence.

Ruggers Ref Tackle

«We strongly condemn any form of abuse or harassment against match officials and are determined to remove any such behavior from the game «. This was stated by RugbyWA Executive Director Simon Taylor.

"The rugby community must remain vigilant against abuse of match officials and we hope this sanction will help ensure that officials are treated more respectfully at all levels of rugby. ."

On the Bayswater website, in a document entitled "Club Team Standards", under "respect" the headline reads: «We treat others well — we have a positive exchange with all match officials.»

Perth Bayswater President Darrell Stops told the Herald that the club supported RugbyWA's decision, adding that the player was extremely remorseful.

«We have made the decision and will not condone what he did,»" Stops said. “We fully support the decision of the Referee Association and RugbyWA. We are genuinely concerned about referee Ian Sunderland and his injury from the incident and that was top of our own thoughts.

“But at the same time we are trying to support our player who is not in serious condition. a good place and we are trying to maintain it as best we can.”

Such extended bans are extremely rare in rugby. Former Toulouse player Trevor Brennan was suspended for five years in 2007 for punching an Ulster fan before a European Cup match. And, as with the Western Australia incident, England winger Neil Back served a six-month ban in 1996 for pushing referee Steve Lander in the Pilkington Cup final that Leicester lost to Bath.