Ground loses games after referee abuse

Wairarapa-Bush Rugby Union officials have moved swiftly to stop a repeat of the player and spectator behavioural issues which marred the Pioneer v Carterton Tui Cup premier division match at the Jeans St grounds in Masterton on Saturday.

They have agreed to a request from the Wairarapa-Bush Rugby Referees Association to transfer the two games scheduled to be played at Jeans St this coming weekend to their Trust House Memorial Park headquarters.

Both those matches involve Pioneer and Martinborough with the senior reserves fixture being the curtain-raiser to what will be a crucial premier division encounter between two sides battling hard to win a spot in the Tui Cup semifinals.

WBRFU chief executive officer Phil Taylor said the longer term future of matches at the Jeans St grounds - the home of the Pioneer club - over the remainder of the season would be discussed at a board meeting on Monday but it was decided to confirm the transfer of this coming weekend's games now.

"We believe that to be the most appropriate action after what happened there on Saturday," Taylor said.

"It's basically what the referees asked us to consider and we take their views very seriously."

Phil Taylor also warned the WBRFU would come down hard on players or spectators who were guilty of vocally abusing referees no matter what grade of rugby was being played.

"There have already been more instances of this than we would like and it's something we don't intend to tolerate," Taylor said. "Referees are an absolutely vital component in our game and there is no way they should be subjected to abuse of any kind, no way at all."