Discipline at schools rugby is deteriorating with every passing year and almost every year spectators have witnessed players involved in confrontations on and off the field. These incidents have often gone unchecked and players walk away free of any punishment.
These incidents by the players are often followed with the supporters of the two schools getting involved in brawls. Almost always the schools authorities fail to provide adequate security at these matches and the acts of hooliganism go haywire.
Almost all these school encounters are supervised by the masters of the respective schools. But are they competent enough to officiate at these encounters?
Sri Lanka’s highest qualified World Rugby referee Dilroy Fernando said that these masters who sit in as Match Commissioners are not up to date with the manner in which matches should be observed and noted the faults committed by the players.
“I asked school officials whether they are willing to send their prefect of games to follow a course to update their knowledge on the role of a Commissioner, but they said that they can only spare two hours for it,” said Fernando.
However, Fernando had responded that it will take a full day to complete the course, which the masters declined to accept.
“These masters put the blame on the referees who control the game on that day. They say that it is up to the referee to control the players which can be done to a limit. It is the commissioners who can have a closer look at the players and game,” noted Fernando.