Rugby Southland has completed its enquiries into the Southland Wide Division 1 Club Competition fixture between the Tokanui and Bluff men’s teams.

This process was conducted in close collaboration with our Independent Judiciary and included engagement with all relevant parties at various stages.

We are now in a position to share the outcomes of this enquiry with the wider rugby community.

As a result of the match, a Bluff Division 1 supporter was identified as displaying intimidatory behaviour toward the match official. The individual has issued an apology, and the Bluff Rugby Club (BRC) has taken appropriate internal steps to address the matter.

Rugby Southland along with the Referee Association will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the steps taken by Bluff to address the individual.

During the course of the enquiry, BRC raised concerns regarding alleged racial comments directed towards them from Tokanui sideline supporters. After careful review, these allegations could not be substantiated.

Whilst the Tokanui Division 1 team were satisfied with the match officiating, BRC raised concerns regarding the performance of the match official. These concerns have been acknowledged and referred to the Rugby Southland Referees Association, who have followed up on this matter internally and are supporting the individual concerned.

Rugby Southland is aware of publicly stated opinions regarding the Tokanui vs Bluff Division 1 match, which has been shared across both social media and mainstream media platforms. We wish to clarify that these opinions are those of individuals and not attributed to or endorsed by Rugby Southland, or any of our member clubs or stakeholders.

This incident in no way reflects the true nature of community rugby in Southland. For many years, we have proudly administered high-quality competitions marked by strong, respectful rivalries among our member clubs. Rugby Southland remains committed to delivering meaningful and positive competitions that uphold the values and spirit of the game we all love.

However, this incident highlights the rare instances where passionate support for our teams and clubs crosses the line - resulting in behavior that is inconsistent with the values of our game. Such conduct has no place on our fields, in our clubrooms, or along our sidelines.

In instances where our Independent Judiciary’s scope may be limited, Rugby Southland is committed to supporting the Rugby Southland Advisory Committee (RSAC) in appropriately managing matters related to conduct and behaviour.

It is clear there are areas within our rugby community that require ongoing attention to ensure the continued delivery of high-quality competitions in a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment. For that reason, our organisation has reflected on our existing community game governance, processes, procedures and rules.

At the conclusion of the 2025 club and secondary school seasons, Rugby Southland will engage in a consultation process with our members to develop a Code of Conduct that will apply across all levels of Community Rugby. A key reference point will be aligning our commitments under a new code to ‘The Code of Integrity for Sport and Recreation (the Integrity Code)’

This work will be accompanied by amendments to the community club competition rules, designed to support the Code of Conduct and to clearly define the processes and consequences for any person, player, or club found in breach.

Rugby Southland wishes to remind our valued community members, stakeholders and fans of the following.

Respect each other – or there will be no opposition to play against

Respect from our sidelines – or there will be no teams to watch

Respect our officials – or there will be no game

Respect

Article added: Thursday 03 July 2025