WESTON-BARNAO INCIDENT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 210, 3 August 1940, Page 8

WESTON-BAR NAO INCIDENT.

(To tlio Editor - .) Sir,- —As a past Rugby referee and union delegate (not Manawatu) I liave followed the correspondence and reports in regard to the above appearing in the “Manawatu Standard.” This evening’s letter written by V. Barn no, in my opinion, is contradictory from commencement to finish. 1 congratulate the Beferecs’ Association on the attitude they have adopted and would say to Mr Barnao that, whilst in the grounds wherein matches are played, all players and public conic under the control of a Rugby Union or SubUnion of that district; also a referee is a controlling authority and players cannot do or say anything they prefer against him. What Mr Barnao should have done if dissatisfied with the rulj ing of Mr Weston was to notify his j club, whose delegate would have rej ported the matter to the union, and lit would have been brought, no doubt, to a satisfactory conclusion. Now this is where Mr Barnao was wrong, for he says: ‘‘He (the referee) overhead my remark, came up and reprimanded me, and 1 withdrew it and replaced it with a frank criticism of his ability as a referee.” So in my opinion an apology is owing by him. A referee's position on a field is a responsible one and questionings by players of his decisions are too frequent. Criticism of a referee is. of course, the prerogative oT one and all, whether possessing reasonably full knowledge of the rules or otherwise. Thanking you, Mr Editor, and without prejudice.—l am. etc.. T). P. RINNAN. Palmerston North, 2/8/40.