Hello, how far does the mantra, the referee is the sole judge of fact and law stretch?
What happens when Team A plays against Team B and the referee agrees that Team A won the game. Team B is not happy with this result and decides to lodge an appeal against the decision. Can a union or rugby body alter a result after it has been signed off by the referee appointed by such a union or rugby body?? Are they in their right to do so or does it always stands that The referee is the sole judge of fact (score in this case) and law.
Hope to hear from you. Thank you Charlie
Hi Charlie
DURING THE MATCH 6.A.4 THE DUTIES OF THE REFEREE IN THE PLAYING ENCLOSURE (a) The referee is the sole judge of fact and of Law during a match. The referee must apply fairly all the Laws of the Game in every match.
If you believe the referee has made a mistake with adding up the scores, then by all means consult with him and the other coach immediately after the game. It is entirely possible that he has marked all the scores correctly, but just added them up wrong in the heat of the moment. This also happens to coaches!
However, if the referee believes the score to be correct, and the team are adamant that it is not, then all they can do is contact the league or cup committee. Be warned though, that without any evidence, such as a full match video, it is unlikely the committee will contradict the refeee.
Regards
The Rugby Ref
