Introduction

The following is intended to be the procedure to be followed in the event of a serious injury on the pitch, and to provide guidance on some of the issues which may arise following such an injury.

Reporting the Incident

1. The referee should complete a Referee Society Injury Event Form, a copy of which is attached to this document. The report should :- i) include a short factual summary of what happened ii) record details of the teams, team captains, touch judges, referee, coaches, any medical staff and, if possible, relevant spectators iii) not contain any speculation, opinion or guess work iv) be in the referee’s own words and should reflect the language used by the referee v) record if the captains’ score cards were submitted to the Referees Society

2. It is important that the referee records the event whilst it is clear in his/her mind. If the referee has any concerns about completing the report or requires assistance, he/she should not hesitate to contact the local Society Secretary.

3. If the referee receives any communications from third party lawyers, these should be sent directly to his/her local society, for onward transmission to the RFU Legal Officer. The injured party’s advisors will often approach various sources seeking to obtain information such as the Club, individuals, the Referees’ Society and/or the referee, and therefore any correspondence or telephone calls received from lawyers representing injured parties should be referred to the RFU’s Legal Officer.