Red cards, yellow cards, warnings and teams getting marched for backchat.
And that was just in Melbourne on Saturday night.
Discipline, or a lack of it, is everywhere in rugby.
It has certainly been an issue in Otago this year, where several fractious incidents at club and school level, some involving spectators, have tarred the season on the field.
In the latest incidents, a man has been charged with assault following a fight between parents on the sideline of an under-10 game, and a senior game has been called off just minutes into the second half with a club reduced to 12 players.
Does the province have a chronic issue to address? Or is rugby simply reflecting a society in which everyone wants to be heard, regardless of whether they are right or wrong?Otago Rugby Football Union metropolitan junior committee chairman Kelvin Maker said every year a new generation of parents came through and they were educated on how they should conduct themselves.
"But as the pressure goes on near the end of the season things can get a bit heated and it always revolves around what happens on the field," he said.
"Coaches and parents have to understand the sort of role they have to play, what is expected of them. They have to show some leadership. It's nothing new. We just try to knock it on the head as soon as possible."
He said people were not as tolerant of other people complaining and that abuse was becoming more pointed, and "in your face sort of stuff."
The winning of the game sometimes becomes too important.
"Emotion becomes involved and it may start from a coach or a parent who goes on about something and then five or six other people get in behind and it becomes mob mentality."
He said referee abuse never got anywhere.
"How many times have you seen a player say something to a referee and the ref change their mind? Never. Yet players still do it."
If people were upset with the abuse, they should approach their club delegates and a process would start so the abuser was told to tone down his behaviour or, at an extreme, banned from the ground.
Otago Rugby Referees Association chairman Jim Thomson said abuse was no worse this year than previously.
There was always a struggle to get good referees so any abuse of them did not help.
He still had concerns about abuse of referees in primary schoolboy grades and people playing the game through their children.
Jeff Grubb, who has refereed for 13 years after playing at premier level, said he felt the abuse at premier level was not bad but he had a thick skin.
"This time of year when the finals are around it can get a bit heated. People have to remember the refs can only see what they can. They can't see down the blind side.
"It [abuse] has probably got a bit more direct over the years. But a premier referee has assistants which gives me six eyes. Refs down the grades don't have that."
Green Island chairman Ray Chalkin said abuse has got slightly worse this year.
"Everything is win at all costs. It has become just too serious," he said.
"Sometimes, we might think a ref is inept but you've got to work with them. Who else is going to do it?"
Younger referees had a hard time in games involving older players, he said.
Harbour had a reputation as having some particularly vocal supporters but club president Kelvin Windsor felt the crowd had mellowed this year.
He reminded spectators before every game to behave.
Otago Rugby Football Union rugby operations manager Richard Perkins said abuse did not appear to have increased from last year.
Anecdotally there appeared to be more incidents but that did not manifest into more complaints.
"Certainly, you hear these things about abuse and incidents but nothing really comes through in the form of formal complaints so it is hard to tell."
Alhambra-Union chairman Gary Wheeler felt behaviour was fine, and if anything was on the improve.
But what drives people to abuse someone, or disrespect someone, who is giving up their time to help control a team of people they have nothing to do with and then get scant thanks afterwards?
Sports psychologist Gary Hermansson said increased abuse and poor behaviour on the field came from changes in society.
"There has been a shift over the years. There had always been a lot of social constraints and people were a lot more considerate of other people but now you just have to look at the rise of societal violence and emotions [to see] that there is a lot less socialised control. So you almost need physical controls like sideline ropes and security guards to keep people under control."
There is a sense in society that needs had to be met, no matter what, and people were no longer prepared to put up with something, he said.
Rewards were far bigger for many younger players now, so there was more at stake, and many no longer just played for enjoyment.
Economic pressures were also not helping.
The death of the close-knit community also changed expectations.
"It used to be a shame to be seen in a particular way by the community. But now what happens, is that people do not care about what the community thinks. The social constraint is not there. People are prepared to react much more."
