Rugby Committee Chair: “We All Need To Read Our Charter Before We Sign It.”

Incoming IRFU Rugby Committee Chair Stephen Black is urging every individual involved in the game to read the IRFU Spirit Of Rugby Charter as they recommit to it for the 2023/24 season.

Commitment to abide by the charter is mandatory as part of membership activation on RugbyConnect.

Clubs, players and coaches will be renewing memberships for the 2023/24 season in the coming weeks.

Stephen Black also chairs a Behaviours and Discipline Working Group which last season renewed a list of sanctions to help tackle breaches of codes of conduct and abuse directed at players, match officials and spectators alike.

“We all know about the values outlined in the Spirit Of Rugby Charter at this point,” said Black.

“It’s not always easy to represent them on and off the pitch, but we must say what we do and do what we say in order to reenforce the ethos which is so important to our game.”

“Moving into the new season is a good time to reacquaint ourselves with the standards of excellence, fun, inclusivity, integrity and respect which we wish to see displayed.”

“It must be said we’ve seen some concerning incidents in the past 12 months. We have a process in place to deal with such incidents and we owe it to our sport to follow that process.”

The IRFU Spirit Of Rugby Charter can be viewed here.

The news comes as a club has been sanctioned for the behaviour of its supporters at a recent Energia All-Ireland League game.

Terenure College RFC fully accepted the charges that were brought against them in breach of IRFU All Ireland League regulations, as well as Regulation 18.3 of the World Rugby Regulations relating to Misconduct.

Following the IRFU Disciplinary process, the club received a sanction which will see their first two All-Ireland League matches of the 2023/24 season played behind closed doors, the second game being suspended for two years.

Costs to repair damage to stadium seating were also passed onto the club and have been paid.

The club tendered an unqualified apology in accepting the charges and the disciplinary panel noted the manner in which the club took responsibility for the offences, addressing them internally and conducting their own internal disciplinary process.

In a separate offence, a club supporter has been banned from all rugby activity held under the jurisdiction of the IRFU and provinces for a period of five years, effective immediately.

The ban includes coaching at any level, with the single exception of attending mini-rugby or age-grade rugby in which their own children are participating.

The IRFU will not be making any further comment on the matter.