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New Zealand test referee Paul Honiss has been reprimanded by the International Rugby Board (IRB) for encouraging players to talk more to referees and question their decisions.
This is clearly against IRB policy, the board said in a statement on Tuesday.
Honiss is a member of the board's 12-member test panel.
He told a radio station last week that New Zealand players were the least talkative on the field and encouraged players to question the referee more.
"Last November the IRB announced that match officials would enforce a zero tolerance policy when it came to players disputing decisions on the field," the IRB said in the statement.
The IRB said it was discouraging a growing trend of players continually questioning and disputing referee decisions.
"Paul Honiss' comments encouraging players to verbally engage the referee more were out of line. He has been reprimanded by the IRB referee manager (fellow New Zealander Paddy O'Brien) and he has been told that such actions will not be tolerated moving forward. He has been reminded about his responsibilities as a test match referee and he has accepted that his actions were contrary to IRB policy. The matter is now closed," IRB's chief executive Mike Miller said.
Meanwhile, O'Brien said the IRB would not continue pre-match meetings between coaches and referees during the World cup.
"The intention is to remove unnecessary external influences on match officials and allow them to referee what they see in front of them without any preconceived ideas. There will be one pre-tournament briefing with all team coaches and referees and prior to the tournament and that will be that,' O'Brien said.
- NZPA
