Referee Brace: We have responsibility but players like Sexton can’t abuse us
Officials can’t avoid the sport headlines at the moment. Whether it is death threats aimed at Rugby World Cup final referee Wayne Barnes and TMO Tom Foley, barbs from football managers at Premier League referees and their VAR siblings, or contention surrounding cricket umpiring, the men and women in the middle get a lot of stick.
That was the case, too, when last season’s Champions Cup concluded in May with La Rochelle’s 27-26 final victory over Leinster at the Aviva Stadium. Now-retired Irish superstar Johnny Sexton, who was not part of the matchday squad, entered the field and verbally abused the refereeing team.
Slap on the wrist
Sexton escaped with a slap on the wrist and a three-match ban, allowing him to feature for Ireland at the World Cup. Irish referee Andrew Brace, who will this weekend referee Toulon’s opening match against Exeter, would like to see tougher punishments for those who set a bad example.
“Whatever position you hold, we all have a responsibility to uphold the values of our game,” says Brace. “I know we hear a lot about it but we need to see more action. We need to be stronger as a refereeing group on the field. If we hear it, then we deal with it, but it has to be in the right way.
“When I started refereeing, I was probably trying to be somebody that I wasn’t. We have a responsibility to respect as well, it’s not just one-way that players respect the referee. The referee has to actually listen to what the player or captain has to say because they might hold valuable points that can help you in your game.”
Referees love Europe
Brace does, though, admit that the Champions Cup can be a difficult place to officiate. With referee neutrality key, Brace usually gets handed some of the mouthwatering Anglo-French ties, where atmospheres are hostile and deafening.
“You go out there to referee, obviously fully neutral, what’s in front of you,” he adds. “And then in the moment, the atmosphere – I’d be lying if you said you didn’t hear it.
“Go to Clermont, they all arrive two hours before and they’re all at the front watching the warm-ups. It’s an incredible experience for me that just brings the whole buzz, the hairs on the back of your neck. That’s the reason you do it. I love that part of the European Cup, it is special.”