Sportsmanship rules of rugby:
In an effort to keep the tradition of rugby sportsmanship
alive, I would like to put down some of the more important aspects of rugby
sportsmanship that teams should follow. Rugby is slowly turning into a
professional sport and I believe that it is very important for some of the old
guard to remind our next generation of rugby players why this sport we call
rugby is the best athletic activity that an individual can pursue. The most
important aspect about rugby sportsmanship is to remember that rugby is a
gentlemen’s sport. Rugby is a team sport and that means that nobody is bigger
than the team and nobody is bigger than the sport itself.
Rugby Sportsmanship:
1). The only person that is allowed to talk to the referee
is the captain of each team. The referee is to be treated with the utmost
respect. Spectators and members of each team should NEVER boo a call made by the
referee and should never challenge the referee’s call in any manner.
2). It is acceptable to acknowledge a good tackle in rugby.
It is never acceptable to cheer the injury of a player or to mock players that
have been injured.
3). Players should NEVER retaliate against any form of
unsportsmanlike conduct from the other team. It is against the laws of rugby and
it runs contrary to the very nature of the sport itself.
4). Club trainers should be made available to both teams
and, if needed, injured players should be helped off the field.
5). Off-field team members should never participate in
mocking or teasing the other team on the field.
6). After the match is over each team should give 3 cheers
to the referee and 3 cheers to the opposing team. After this, each team will
form a tunnel and players will shake hands and congratulate each other on the
match. Players of the team that form the initial tunnel are expected to return
through the opponents tunnel.
7). Visiting teams should be hosted in a proper manner. A very important aspect of this should include members of each team discussing the match and how their season is going. At no point in time should opposing players argue over disputed calls or how they thought the outcome of the match should have been. Most importantly, we may be enemies on the pitch but off the pitch we are brothers. Our specific hosting policy is provided at another location on our website.