In a landmark case, a rugby fan in Australia has been convicted for online abuse of match officials, receiving a £522 12-month suspended fine and marking a significant step in the fight against online harassment in sports. The individual, a 22-year-old youth worker, faced charges for verbally abusing a match official during the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The abuse, directed towards TMO Brian MacNiece and his wife during England's pool stage win against Samoa, resulted in a $1,000 fine and a lifetime ban from World Rugby events. This case, highlighted in the RPTV Whistleblowers documentary, is the first World Rugby prosecution of its kind. The conviction was facilitated by the use of a "Threat Matrix service" by Signify Group in partnership with World Rugby, aiming to send a strong message against online trolls and such behavior.
😡 "There is intent there, whether he lands it or not is irrelevant." 🟥 The Rebels boss is not pleased with the outcome of Jone Koroiduadua's disciplinary. https://t.co/0lzSLadlOd
💬 "What an absolute farce!" 🟥 #SuperRugbyPacific slammed after a Fijian Drua prop gets a slap on the wrist for headbutt. https://t.co/8DfLcvte2R
Rugby player banned for act of 'physical abuse' that sickened viewers https://t.co/UUVfsyWHs5
LA prop Alex Maughan gets a one week suspension. He was sent off at the end of the first half against DC after receiving a second yellow card, which was his fourth yellow of the season in just five games. https://t.co/p0JwWWJu3g
Four weeks for NOLA prop Sean Paranihi after his red card in the second half of Saturday's game against Chicago. He was sent off for knee contact to the head of Hound flanker Lucas Rumball. https://t.co/TjcKAfy8Fh
[Disciplinary Result] Cullen Maughan of @RugbyFCLA is suspended for one weeks. Next eligible match is 21 April 24 V. Chicago Hounds. More information: https://t.co/xixI66DZi2
[Disciplinary Result] Sean Paranihi of @nolagoldrugby is suspended for four weeks. Next eligible match is 18 May 24 V. Utah Warriors More information: https://t.co/xixI66DZi2
🗣️ “The victim player was in an incredibly vulnerable position with limited ability, if any, to defend himself.” #SuperRugbyPacific 🟥 Frank Lomani banned for elbowing Rebels' Josh Canham. https://t.co/qVwn2Tj9xA
The rare top-end entry point for Frank Lomani (think Johan Deysel on Dupont at the RWC), meaning his ban started at 10 weeks. Reduced down to six weeks for "an early guilty plea (and other relevant mitigating factors)". https://t.co/2EE34J7I4h
Jone Koroiduadua getting JUST a two week ban for head butting a player is exactly why @SuperRugby is a joke. How on earth after doing that do you give a player 3 weeks off from 6 for entering an early guilty plea and THEN another week just because. His intentions were to… https://t.co/nYM4PWzTkg
Jone Koroiduadua has been banned for just 2 weeks for his headbutt. 😳 6 weeks cut to 3 and then: a sanction of 3 weeks would have been wholly disproportionate to the level and type of offending involved, & applied a further reduction of 1 week.” https://t.co/V2ucdLGHgx…
Jone Koroiduadua has been banned for just two weeks for his headbutt. 😳 6 weeks cut to 3 and then: The Committee considered a sanction of 3 weeks would have been wholly disproportionate to the level and type of offending involved, and applied a further reduction of 1 week.”…
Frank Lomani has been suspended for 6 weeks for his elbow to the back of Josh Canham’s head. 🟥 10 weeks drop to 6. “In providing the Player the Sanction, the Foul Play Review Committee emphasised that this sort of incident is not tolerated in any form of the game.” https://t.co/3PqukTLQZm
Frank Lomani has been suspended for 6 weeks for his elbow to the back of Josh Canham’s head. 🟥 10 weeks drop to 6. “In providing the Player the Sanction, the Foul Play Review Committee emphasised that this sort of incident is not tolerated in any form of the game.”…
Frank Lomani gets six weeks. https://t.co/jwd6jAb5mi
⚖️ Action has been taken to stop referee abuse. 👇 Full story. https://t.co/mLJTT1gjJZ
🗣️ "We hope that this sends a very strong message to online trolls that such behaviour is totally unacceptable." 👮 Supporter convicted after match official abuse at #RWC2023. https://t.co/oIAOZRgDto
The first World Rugby prosecution of the World Cup leading to a $1,000 fine and a lifetime ban for the perpetrator. The abuse came into the spotlight earlier this year with the RPTV Whistleblowers documentary, available to watch now for free 📺 #rugby #whistleblowers https://t.co/Of08EoM33p
A rugby fan in Australia has become the first person to be convicted of abusing match officials online, receiving a £522 12-month suspended fine ⚖️ The perpetrator was identified through a "Threat Matrix service" used by Signify Group in partnership with World Rugby. https://t.co/hbDUuF6xLF
A 22 year old youth worker has faced an Australian magistrates court for verbally abusing a match official during the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The abuse was directed towards TMO Brian MacNiece and his wife during England’s pool stage win against Samoa. He has been issued a $1,000… https://t.co/YQJ550oQoF