The North Otago Rugby Referees Association is pursuing an appeal into what it says were manifestly light punishments for incidents this season.
The association is upset with the punishments handed out as a result of two incidents in club games this year.
Referees association chairman James Symes said the punishment handed out for the incidents sent out the wrong messages to everyone involved in the game.
Old Boys No8 Soni Tongotongo was given a two-week suspension after a punching and kicking incident against a Valley forward.
In the club semifinal in July between Old Boys and Valley, a spectator came on to the field at the end of the game and pushed referee Craig Kingan.
A union hearing banned the spectator from all involvement in rugby for five years.
Symes confirmed the association had appealed the length of both of the bans to the North Otago union but the appeals had both been dismissed.
Symes said the association was now working through a process over the punishments, which was involving New Zealand Rugby.
Lawyers were working on behalf of the association.
He was not happy with the punishments and the association had to do something to stop the problem.
"It sends out the wrong messages. We can all do a lot better to clean up the game. To us it is about the safety of the game,'' he said.
"You need to guarantee the safety of the game - that this is a safe game to play, to referee and administer.
"But this message is not being backed up by the North Otago Rugby Football Union.''
He felt the incident involving the players should have been at the higher end of punishment with up to 12 weeks given to the guilty party.
As for the referee being pushed, Symes felt five years was far too light.
The sanction should have been 10 years up to a life ban, he said.
"It is just hugely disappointing.''
North Otago Rugby Football Union chief executive Colin Jackson said the process had been worked through and it had been a thorough process.
What the referees' association did was up to it, he said.
•A story on Wednesday said three of four board members of the NORFU board have resigned. Three board directors have resigned and been replaced. In addition, a president, chairman and two club representatives make up the eight-person board.
