Aaron Isaia fined for online abuse of TMO Brian MacNiece

“The vile and toxic abuse is an all-too-common occurrence for many sports men and women and public figures, and we hope that this sends a very strong message to online trolls that such behaviour is totally unacceptable and that the sport and the authorities are prepared to take action,” he said in a statement.

World Rugby said it had extended its partnership with Signify Group to continue monitoring for abuse of match officials in all men’s and women’s Tests for the next three years.

The issue of online hate and abuse towards officials and players has escalated dramatically in rugby, with English referee Wayne Barnes recently revealing his family had received horrific threats after games featuring contentious decisions. Barnes, who refereed the World Cup final in November, retired after the tournament and shared his experiences in a book.

“When people make threats against your wife and kids, they should be held to account and punished,” Barnes said in an interview with BBC Sport. “Threats of sexual violence, threats of saying we know where you live. It crosses that line.”

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The man who served as TMO in the World Cup final, Tom Foley, subsequently stepped away from the sport due to increasing levels of online abuse. Australian referee Nic Berry was also subject to vicious online abuse after being criticised by Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus during the 2021 British and Irish Lions series.

World Rugby said more than 900 accounts were monitored at the Rugby World Cup, with in excess of 1600 abusive accounts flagged to platforms and 90 per cent removal of serious abuse.

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