Referee Ben O'Keeffe has shared insight into the online abuse he suffered after officiating Ireland's hard-fought 13-10 win over Australia.
Andy Farrell's side emerged victorious in a fixture that was fraught with stoppages due to infringements. Both teams had cause to quarrel over decisions but eventually finished with 12 penalties apiece, with the Wallabies disappointed not to have beaten the No. 1 team in the world.
While most rugby fans look forward to any Test window, the Autumn internationals are not largely considered a high-stakes event. But that didn't prevent some supporters from directing disgust at O'Keeffe, which he shared via his official Instagram account.
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"You make me sick," wrote one critic. "I'm so embarrassed you represent my game, you're so clueless as to what the rules are." A second user encouraged the official to "hang up the whistle” following the disjointed match in Dublin.
O'Keeffe shared another particularly profane rant he received on social media, which read: "You don't realise everyone thinks your (sic) a joke. Take time to sit back and think about that. . .you actually destroyed peoples dreams last night. . .players and fans. . .I really hope you f*** off.... your a p**** and you know you are. . .a disgrace to the game."
Saturday's defeat in Dublin means Dave Rennie's side head into Saturday's visit to Wales with one win from four Autumn Nations Series games thus far. The Wallabies edged Scotland 16-15 in Edinburgh at the end of October but have since succumbed to France, Italy and Ireland.
Dissent in all forms is a particularly hot topic in rugby after South Africa's director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus, was banned for two games following his online scrutiny against certain referee decisions. Springboks hooker Bongi Mbonambi was criticised on Saturday after suggesting official Matthew Carley was being biased during his side's 63-21 win over Italy.
Erasmus denied the suggestion his tweets encouraged public scrutiny of the referees concerned, saying such claims were "totally unfounded." O'Keeffe's experience is but the latest example of a referee facing unnecessary abuse for their on-field performance, with abusers too happy to take advantage of the direct channels of communication online.
O'Keeffe—a qualified ophthalmologist and one of the more revered referees in rugby today—has overseen matches in the Rugby World Cup, Rugby Championship and Six Nations. Like the athletes, he is culpable for mistakes made on the pitch, though abuse from fans should never be a part of any punishment.
