Referee calls off Wellington club rugby game early in latest abuse incident

Wednesday, 22 July 2026

Referee abuse continues to be an issue in Wellington club rugby (file photo).

A Wellington club rugby referee was forced to call off a game after a constant stream of abuse last weekend.

The incident happened just one week after the Wellington Rugby Referees Association (WRRA) withdrew from all appointments, forcing the cancellation of games across the July 10-12 weekend.

A frustrated WRRA president and chair Ben Van Berkel told The Post on Wednesday that the overall attitude towards match officials improved last weekend, but the referee who was abused not only called off the fixture in question but has withdrawn from refereeing for the rest of this season and next year as well.

“We still had a refereeing incident in one game,” Van Berkel said. “Just both teams constantly badgering the referee, swearing at him and challenging decisions.

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“In the end he called the game off early and he said he's not going to referee any more this season or next year.”

Van Berkel wouldn’t be drawn on which clubs were involved, but said it wasn’t in the Premier Men grade.

The WRRA has received 19 reports of verbal abuse towards referees in Wellington before withdrawing from the July 10-12 fixtures, and it had been hoped that action would improve behaviour.

“Other referees have told me that it was a lot better on Saturday,” Van Berkel said.

“So it’s getting through to most people. But some people are probably never going to change.

“That's how it's always been and potentially how they always will be. It’s a bit disappointing, but in general I think there was a positive shift in the games.”

Van Berkel said abuse was having an effect on referee numbers in Wellington.

“We’re quite a bit lower,” he said. “We haven't finalised it, but I think we'll be at least 10 down on last year.

“That [abuse] is one reason why people don't want to come back or don't want to join us as new referees.

“But there's also a lot more pressure on families and they don't have the time to volunteer as much now.

“There's socioeconomic factors. You can't begrudge someone who needs to work on a Saturday to put bread on the table for his or her family.

“The problem is it's not just a rugby issue, it is a sport issue.

“Speaking with other codes around Wellington, they're having exactly the same issues, but they don't get the publicity that we've got because they haven't made this stand.”

Van Berkel believed society had become angrier in the post-Covid years and he was working closely with the Wellington Rugby Football Union (WRFU) to deal with the issue.

“It's just having clear guidelines around what the abuse process is and what the outcomes potentially will be,” he said.

The WRFU has been approached for comment.

New Zealand Rugby general manager, community participation and development, Mike Hester said “considerable investment” was being put into supporting referees.

'Instances of inappropriate sideline behaviour and abuse towards referees have occurred in several provincial unions throughout the community rugby season,“ he said in a statement.

“This is not unique to rugby, and we’re aware that a number of other sporting codes across the country are grappling with similar issues.

“Abuse in any form has no place in our communities, whether at work, in study or in sport, and rugby is no exception.

“Our game is built on respect, and we all have a responsibility to protect and promote that principle.

“We continue to work closely with our provincial unions to monitor and address instances of abuse, and we remain committed to supporting those affected.

“NZR supports initiatives that encourage positive sideline behaviour and strengthen member protection across our rugby communities.

“There is considerable investment going into strengthening the support for our referees as volunteers as well reviewing our judicial processes to ensure disciplinary action can be taken when required.'

NZ Rugby said there were 2263 registered referees nationally in 2026, which is “tracking on par with last year”.