Much has been written and said about the levels to which Rugby football matches are deteriorating and the unfair treatment that referees are being subjected to during and after matches.

As mentioned by Ranjan de Silva of Moratuwa (Island of 3rd September 2004), it must be mentioned that the referees also should ensure to be more vigilant and observant in performing their duties. Thankfully violence against referees has not reared its ugly head in inter school matches. As mentioned by Ranjan de Silva, the St. Thomas vs St. Joseph’s match would certainly have left a bad taste in the mouth, even on the Thomian side.

Another case in point was the second leg of the Bradby Shield in Kandy. Subsequent to the bashing that Trinity was subjected to in the first leg at the hands of the Royalists, it is to the credit of the Trinity XV who put up a spirited show in the first half of the second leg.

The live telecast of the match shown on MTV clearly showed that a try had been scored by Trinity and was not seen by the referee. Let us grant that the referee cannot see everything and had there been no video coverage. Nobody other than those in the immediate vicinity of the ball at that time would have known of the try. However, the second try scored by Royal very clearly came off a forward pass and it came as a shock even to the Royalists when the try was given. The shock was so great that there was no cheering in the Royal tent.

It was noticed very clearly that the referee was unable to keep up with the speed of the game and on two occasions, totally ignored injured players without having them attended to.

It is sincerely hoped that young and truly capable referees are assigned for important matches in the future.