Cape Town - Test referee Willie Roos has resigned from refereeing, prompting Andre Watson, referees’ manager of the South African Rugby Union, to call on rugby supporters to return to traditional rugby values of respect towards officials.

Roos retired from refereeing after 15 years of training and experience after he was abused and had a drink flung in his face in Kimberley following a Currie Cup Premier Division match. Some supporters blamed Roos for Griquas’ defeat after they earned two yellow cards in the final 10 minutes and succumbed to a late score from the Blue Bulls.

Roos is taking legal action against his assailant in Kimberley.

“We have been working hard to recruit more referees and have seen a six percent increase in our numbers, but incidents like this and the criticism and abuse that our officials receive both from the stands and from the attendant publicity violates the spirit of rugby,” said Watson.

“It takes many years and tens of thousands of rands to bring a referee through the ranks to be able to officiate at Currie Cup level, and to lose one because of the actions of a few hot-headed supporters and ill-informed media comment is desperately wasteful from a rugby point of view and personally very sad for Willie Roos.

“I’d like to thank him and pay tribute to him for the many thousands of hours he has given to the game in usually unglamorous surroundings and at times that have taken him away from his family. We tried to talk him out of his decision, but he told us that ‘enough is enough’.”

In his letter of resignation Roos said that refereeing had given him many great friends and taken him all over the world, but that his passion for the game had gone.

“I have made mistakes in my career but they were never intentional and I always tried my best. But I fail to understand how the decisions of referees are blamed for winning and losing matches but those of coaches and players are not.

“I was taught never to swear at or criticise players or coaches when I was a youngster but I have experienced it in abundance – particularly in the last two years. The off-the-field abuse has caused considerable embarrassment and heartache to me and my family and this latest incident told me it was time to quit the game I love and cherish.”

Watson said that Roos’s application of the Law leading to the yellow carding of two Griquas players against the Blue Bulls could not be faulted, from a Law point of view. He added that replacing a referee of Roos’s calibre and experience was far from straightforward.

“He has refereed nine Test matches, 14 Super Rugby games and more than 30 Currie Cup matches. Experience like that takes seasons to accumulate,” said Watson.

“Willie was one of the top 10 referees in South Africa and it is tragic to lose him at the tender age of 34, when he should have been available to service SA Rugby for at least 10 more years.

“The Kimberley match was the last straw in the Willie’s case. Referees know that our role is potentially controversial and that there will definitely be criticism, but when it becomes physical and personal in nature, then a line has been crossed.

“Whilst we have a policy of admitting mistakes in public and continuously attempting to educate the public and supporters regarding the law and its application, we find it increasingly irrational to blame everything on the refereeing every time.

Oregan Hoskins, president of the South African Rugby Union, backed the appeal for a return to traditional values. 

“Apart from our top four referees, every other referee operating in South Africa – such as Willie – is a volunteer,” said Hoskins. “We are in a dire situation in terms of referee numbers in this country – we have 1 800 when we need 8 000 – and if we are not careful there is a growing danger that more and more club and school matches will be refereed by someone pulled off the touchline.”

Watson added: “They are asked to operate in an environment where they are the only scapegoat on any given match-day – which is unfair and suggests we as a nation have forgotten those values of respecting the officials and the game that we were taught at school.

“We wish Willie all the best for the future and hope that he will make himself available for other duties in the refereeing fraternity, to give us the value of his experience, in the future.”