The Angry Ref - “It’s Gotta Go Both Ways”

No, it doesn’t.  It absolutely doesn’t.  The only way it’s gotta go is the way it goes.
 
OK, so that’s not exactly true.  If you have two teams that are both committing the same infraction you do have to call it on both teams.  But when you have one team committing an infraction over and over again and the other team never commits the infraction then no, it does not have to go both ways.
 
What the hell am I talking about?  I’m talking about comments from the sideline, specifically from parents.  Look here parents, let me tell you something, most of you don’t know half as much as you think you know about rugby.  You certainly don’t know a damn thing about officiating.  And you know even less about your own stupidity and need to STFU.  Seriously, what makes you think that it’s at all appropriate to yell things at an AR at a frosh/soph U19 match?

What were dear old dad’s complaints on this day?  The AR didn’t know how far ten meters was, and only called foul play on his kid’s team.  “It’s gotta go both ways!  It’s gotta go both ways!”  No jackass, it doesn’t.  Here’s the thing, your team plays like a bunch of entitled little pricks.  They’re good and they win so they think they know everything and should get every call.  I can see where they get it from.  They get it from you Mr. “Guy-who’s-been-in-my-ear-all-day.”  It doesn’t go both ways if the other team isn’t committing lift-and-dump tackles, isn’t failing to wrap, and isn’t tackling above the line of the shoulders.  Just because your little band of merry assholes can’t play within the laws doesn’t mean the other team can’t.  Oh look dad, your captain is starting a fight.
 
The real kicker is what his guy said after I explained this all to him as nicely as I could muster.  His excuse, his final bit of reasoning as to why I shouldn’t extend the flag was this, “Come on man, it’s frosh/soph rugby it doesn’t even matter.”  Brilliant sir.  Brilliant.  If it doesn’t matter then why have you been in my ear for the last forty minutes?  My response, “You’re right, that’s why you should relax.” set him off on such an apoplectic rant that another parent had to walk him off and calm him down.
 
So, what’s today’s lesson?  First, it only goes both ways if both teams commit infractions.  Second, if you’re a parent: shut up.  Third, if it’s frosh/soph U19 and you don’t think it really matters then seriously STFU.