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Rugby World Cup referees will sin-bin players who dive or feign injury
AAP
September 16, 2015
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Rugby World Cup referees will send players who dive or feign injury to the sin-bin in a bid to stop a "football culture" taking over the game, a top official said on Wednesday.

Citing commissioners could also issue special warnings for violence and faking injury, with a possible ban after three citations, John Jeffrey, head of the Rugby World Cup match officials committee, said.

"There is a culture creeping in," Jeffrey said. "I call it the football culture of simulation, people appealing to referees, players - and it has happened a couple of times - diving.

That is going to be sanctioned very heavily in this tournament.

"It is very, very important that we keep our values. Referees have been asked to sanction very heavily on that."

The unwanted culture also sees players try to pressure a referee into decisions, and Jeffrey says the officials should issue a straight yellow card as a sanction.

Citing commissioners will watch the game from touchlines using Hawk-Eye camera technology and can give warnings for offences that referees may not see.

After three warnings from the commissioners, or three yellow cards from referees, a player will go before a disciplinary hearing that can impose a ban. Jeffrey said players who grabbed opponents around the neck in the ruck would face an automatic sending off.

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