Ref quits over rising abuse

One of Waikato's top club referees has quit rugby, sick of a rising tide of referee abuse that forced him to call off a match early last week. 

"I'm finished," Brent Jenkins said today, admitting he had been concerned for his personal safety during the senior A first division match between Frankton and Kihikihi in Hamilton last Saturday. 

He called the game off in the 34th minute after being verbally abused for sending a Kihikihi player from the field for a second incident of foul play.  

The fallout from the match continued this week with one player being banned for six weeks and the club losing its home ground status for the next two games.  

Jenkins was once ranked as Waikato's No 1 referee before taking a break from the sport and returning this season. 

"I've been reffing for over 10 years and it's the worst abuse I've experienced. It's just not acceptable," Jenkins said.

"I didn't want to be standing there and get hit from behind -- and that sort of thing was starting to become an issue because of what the players were saying." 

Jenkins said referee abuse was getting worse particularly at club level. "It's not so much in the top teams but it's something that's across society now -- there's just no respect any more."  

The Waikato Rugby Union (WRU) club competition committee last night placed Kihikihi on indefinite probation, meaning it would be removed from the competition if there were any further problems. 

Competition committee chairman Allen Grainger said a delegation from the committee would meet the club tonight. 

The player sent off in the abandoned match, No 8 Shane Crutchley, was suspended for six weeks by the WRU's judicial panel on Monday.  

The Waikato Rugby Referees' Association management group will meet tonight to decide whether it is prepared to referee further games involving Kihikihi.  

- nzpa