Legal

Referees

The Old Mid-Whitgiftian RFC has signed up to the IRB's Abuse of match officials code of conduct, and as such, all players and spectators are expected to abide by this code.

The code states:

• That a person shall not abuse, threaten or intimidate a referee, touch judge or other match official, whether on or off the field of play.
• That a person shall not use crude or abusive language or gesture towards referees, touch judges or other match officials.

Abuse is defined as: Individual perception of personal degradation be it mental or physical before during and after the game and includes verbal or physical assault, intimidatory conduct or racial or sexual harassment.

Sending Off (Red Card)

In the event of a player being sent off, the Club disciplinary committee (CDC) will meet within 24 hours.  This is a requirement of Surrey CRFU who need a report within 48 hours of the sending off.

The dismissed player is required to appear before the CDC to state the circumstances of his dismissal.  The CDC, which is comprised of officers of the club, will decide if the circumstances warrant an immediate suspension or if the player should continue to be available for selection until Surrey CRFU decide the case at a hearing.

Some cases can be dealt with by a "guilty by post" conclusion, but if not, the player must appear before the Surrey Disciplinary Committee on an appointed date to present his case.  He may ask questions of the referee or any witnesses he asks to attend.