Willie Roos refereed a Currie Cup match in Kimberley, the home side lost, he had liquid flung in his face as he came off the field and he has called an end to a long and successful career as a referee.

Roos who was on the top panel of referees in South Africa, refereed nine Test matches, 14 Super games and more than 30 Currie Cup matches.

The assailant, a spectator, has been suspended for three years by the Griqualand West Rugby Union and has had a charge of assault laid against him.

It is a serious matter, not as one TV commentator seemed to suggest, something to joke about, thereby encouraging more such jokes. It was assault. Nothing that Roos ever did on the field justified assault. Referees are human beings and have the rights of human beings, and we are not even talking about religious precepts.

Of course his friends and colleagues are angry at what has happened.

Louis Wessels, former Currie Cup referee, Chariman of the Blue Bulls Referees and IRB assessor

It was both a disappointment and shock to me to hear of Willie’s retirement.  Even more so with reference to the circumstances under which it occurred..  Willie has been a loyal servant of the game and of refereeing on the international stage and certainly does not deserve this sort of treatment.

As referees we all know that we are criticised and sometimes even abused by spectators and officials. It can usually be attributed the a complete lack of knowledge and common good manners.  There is however no excuse for this type of behaviour Willie has had to put  up with.  All I can say to you is that you will encounter this behavioyr usually amongst those who know the least about the game, not to even mention the laws and refereeing!

South African rugby can ill-afford these idiots and ill-mannered spectators.  They should be dealt with immediately and severely in such a way that not only will they be taught a lesson, but any like minded idiots be shown that this will not be tolerated.  In all my years as a referee and administrator I have always found that those people with the biggest mouths and worst manners are the biggest fools.

Willie,  thank you for your service and dedication to rugby and especially refereeing.  It is greatly appreciated.  Please do not leave the game entirely.  Make yourself available as a coach or assessor.  With your knowledge and experience on the highest level of rugby, SA rugby can ill-afford to forego your knowledge and experience.

Wishing you well

Regards, Louis Wessels

Mark Lawrence, one of the top referees in the world

It is with much regret and a heavy heart that I have to bid farewell to a fellow colleague and friend. I have in the past, spent many weeks with Willie on our tours abroad and we have had and shared some great times. It is sad that, at times, rugby was hard on Willie, with big calls and family problems dogging him but he loved the game and kept at it with confidence. He gave up a lot for rugby and has served the game well. I guess the incident in Kimberly was the final straw. I condemn in the strongest possible manner the incident and hope the perpetrator is brought to book. My family and I will miss Willie and we all want to wish him well for the future and hope that God has many blessings and dreams in store for him.

Thanks for the memories and laughs bro’ but also for all the lessons in life, which we have learnt from you.

Adieu.

Mark, Griselle and the Lawrence kids

Craig Joubert, one of the world's top referees

Open letter to Willie Roos....
 
Willie,
 
It is sad to see a colleague forced out of refereeing following the unsporting and physical abuse in Kimberley. We have all had our share of criticism and ups and downs but this act you were subjected to in Kimberley went beyond the boundaries where any reasonable person could be expected to be "thick skinned" and accept such behaviour.
 
This guy obviously has no idea as to the extent of the preparation that goes in to refereeing at this level. He would no doubt find it surprising to know of the effort that you have put in to the game over the last decade. From the Craven week 10 years ago (don't mention the sleep walking!?) to Auckland in the Super 14 last year it has been a journey in which I have seen 1st hand the extent of the effort you've put in to refereeing. How tragic for all this to be ended by an ignorant supporter.
 
All the best for your future endeavours - I hope to never have to write a similar letter again.
 
Cheers, Joubs

Johan Meuwesen, former Test referee, currently on the IRB's panel of TMOs

It is sad that a career has to come to an end because of other people's lack of self-control. Recent acts off the field of play, which borders on hooliganism, must be addressed at all levels in society. Willie always pride himself on being a keen student of the game in striving to become one of the best. A lot of time an effort has gone into this. I truly hope that he will put this behind him and that all the good memories, of which there are plenty, will stand out in years to come. Rugby cannot afford incidents like this to happen again.
 
Johann

Pro Legoete, Test referee and colleague at the Golden Lions

It is sad to see a Referee being treated like this. Unfortunately things have forced one of our own to stop refereeing. He is some who tried to do his best at ALL times. Pity some of our public could not see the value and effort a referee puts in at any level.
 
All the best to him, hopefully we will not lose another referee because of something silly.

Sindile Mayende, South Africa's newest Currie Cup referee

I'm very disappointed with this its sad we should were a arm band in the next round off Currie Cup that says no to abuse of officials. This could happen to anyone

Stuart Berry, recently promoted to the ranks of Currie Cup referees

We all understand that as referees we will more often than not be prone to situations beyond our control, and situations that many people would never like to be put in. We accept that, with the fact that we will make mistakes along the way, but as a referee, it is saddening that Willie has had to endure situations like he did last weekend. As a fellow referee, it is obviously sad to hear of Willies decision, nevertheless I would like to wish him all the best for his future endeavors. Willie, you can be proud at having contributed so much time and effort to a game that has benefitted accordingly.

Regards, Stu Berry

Gerrit Coetzer, former Test referee and currently a national assessor

I FULLY SUPPORT THE CONDEMNATION OF SUCH ACTS
 
GERRIT COETZER

Richard Nash, former Golden Lions referee and currently an assessor

I think that it is a crying shame that this should happen.

I personally thought he handled a very tough game pretty well.

It is a pity that players that cannot play within the Laws and a sozzled yobbo in the stand should force a fine young referee into retirement.

This makes a travesty of the game we love.

Dries Breytenbach of the Mpumalanga Rugby Union, a former referee and currently an assessor of referees.

On behalf of Mpumalanga Referees we would like to express our shock and disappointment on the incident that happened in Kimberley involving Willie.

Willie, and all referees for that matter, deserves better treatment than what transpired. We trust that these kinds of acts will be severely punished and that culprits like these never set foot near a rugby field again. The SA Referees department has called on a return to traditional rugby values and this Society is in agreement with that. It is a great loss to the referee fraternity and rugby in general to lose someone of Willie’s caliber through an unacceptable act like this.

A personal note to Willie…

Willie, you always carried yourself as a gentleman and role model. It was a privilege to be associated with you as a fellow referee. Thank you for the example shown to us and we trust that you will stay in contact with us. We also hope that, in time, you'll be able to put back some of the expertise and knowledge that you have into other referees so that you can continue serving the game we know you love.

Thanks for all the laughs, thanks for the good times and above all thanks that you were always prepared to help and serve rugby. The Pumas Referees salute a gentleman.

Dries Breytenbach

Beverly Mills one of the first women referees in South Africa and later a referees' coach

AN OPEN LETTER TO WILLIE ROOS

Dear Willie,

As an ardent rugby fan, an ex referee and touch judge and ex referee coach, I am saddened but not surprised that you have decided to retire from refereeing. Why I am saddened I will deal with further on. The reasons I am not surprised, I believe, are some so-called rugby supporters could reflect on.

It appears to be the trend that some of the media, the fans and the players believe that they have the right to criticize the officials in the manner they do when their ignorance of the laws of rugby is so blatantly obvious. Even our Springboks often show phenomenal misunderstanding of the laws. Some of the time it is understandable considering the amounts and numbers of law changes but the behaviour afforded you takes some understanding. I can only put it down to the appalling lack of intellectual capacity and moral integrity of these people.

For the amount of commitment and dedication you have for your refereeing you have been treated despicably in a couple of instances over the years. This has been mostly by fans incensed at the outcomes of some of the matches you have refereed. If I am not mistaken, you have even had death threats. No referee, and certainly no official, who gives up personal time to ensure that the games fans can watch run in the manner they do, deserves to have to put up with public humiliation such as you were afforded recently. Hence I am not surprised at your decision.

Why I am saddened is that you, Willie, were the one referee that could be counted on to be fit and fair. The blind devotion that some fans give to their teams ensures that they do not see the extra little ‘cheating’ tactics their teams do. It is really easy to referee the popular outcome of any event on the field. I knew that whenever I watched a match you were refereeing, that you would see this ‘cheating’. It would mean that I could enjoy a game knowing that the referee would ensure a good and fair contest.

I am also saddened because in the time I was with the Golden Lions Rugby Referees Society you were always so dedicated to the cause. You were helpful, kind, never disparaging of other referees (and certainly not of the lady referees and touch judges). You were the epitome of a professional.

So, Willie, you who have always had jokes made about your surname with respect to removing the first letter and adding others, I offer you this. Add a T to the front of your surname. You should get COMFORT because there are many, many appreciative rugby lovers out there who enjoyed your refereeing and appreciated your efforts. There must be thousands of schoolboys that can thank you for refereeing safe, fair and enjoyable school games. Many young, upcoming referees have benefited from your help and the Golden Lions Referees has become stronger for your presence. When you look back think of these rugby lovers and not the few who give the rest a bad name.

I hope that the time you will now have available to you will be spent happily with your little family that had in the past to spend so much time without you around because of your referee commitments.

Good luck and God Bless.

Bev Mills (once referred to by a father of an Under-14C rugby player, in his presence, as a ‘fokken vroumens wat weet van niks’)

John Davies, a keen referees man from Warwickshire

I was desperately sad and shocked to read of the circumstances leading up to Willie's resignation. I must declare an interest as I organised his first international exchange to the UK and subsequently have gained great pleasure in seeing him progress to the pinnacle of blowing. I am also the disciplinary secretary for Warwickshire. Match official abuse is not just a South African problem but eats away at the very fabric of our game. In fact I feel match official abuse is a greater danger to the game than the use of fake blood which is getting a lot of press here.

My questions are: what is /can be done by referee officialdom and governing bodies to rid our game of these corrosive acts? Secondly what advice would you give a new referee who is climbing the ladder on how to handle the situation when the line between banter and abuse is crossed?

In Warwickshire we have a good rapport with our CB and miscreants have received significant punishment. We see this as vital to the retention of our match officials.

Craig Palmer a member of the Golden Lions Referees Society, a club referee.

This indeed sad news for both SA Rugby and Golden Lions Referees' Society

To say that I am not surprised would be a lie, angry yes! The amount of abuse that officials have to endure has been on the rise for some time now and yet it appears despite numerous reports, that the Unions (refer to Rugby Unions and Not Referee Unions) are prepared to accept it part of the game and that big boys don't cry. No they do not, but there families do and that is the difference.

One wonders if this kind of a loss will now be used to kick start a rebellion or resignation of officials and how on earth can we be expected to source and train new referees with examples like this – it is disgusting!

Willie is a respected referee of long standing with the Union and SA Rugby and one wonders what support he as received at this time and whether he will consider still remaining involved with the game from an administrative / experience aspect in training new referees.

I sincerely hope that the transgressor is brought to task and treated in the same light as the infamous “Piet van Zyl”.

Cheers, Craig Palmer

André Nel who was a referee in the Eastern Province then in Northern Transvaal and then for 35 years a member of the Golden Lions Referees

You have my fullest support in condemning such an act.

André Nel

Alwyn Fortmann, a Golden Lions referee of over 40 years' standing

What a shame that this sort of culture has crept into rugby, which is such a beautiful game and spoilt by this. Let's hope Willie will reconsider and come back.

Regards, Al.