Bay of Plenty Rugby Union judicial committee chairman John MacKay said abuse - on the field and sideline - was not new to the game and recent events were at the extreme end of the spectrum.
"It's always been there. Players and supporters are always going to be over exuberant. It is a contact sport, at the end of the day. Emotions run high, some people aren't as fit as they need to be so rather than doing the damage in terms of the way they play the game, they resort to throwing punches."
The judicial committee deals with complaints - most from referees and officials relating to players - at weekly hearings during winter.
The number of complaints varies each week, but remains consistent season after season, Mr Mackay said.
"It's much the same every year, it peaks and troughs."
Despite a slow start this season, the committee is dealing with up to three or four cases a week, most involving players abusing the referee or kicking and punching other players.
Penalties for a hit, punch or kick could be a suspension of two weeks to up to a year.
In Mr Mackay's seven years on the committee, the longest ban imposed on a player was five years in 2011.
In general, players respected the judiciary process and its potential impact on their future rugby careers, he said.
Supporters could also appear before the judiciary and be banned from attending games.
Mr Mackay said some keen supporters lost their grip on reality, forgot what they watching and tried to relive their youth.
The committee reminded offenders of the difficulty in finding volunteers to referee.
"We effectively plead with the players to buck their ideas up.
"People are always critical of the ref. The reality is we've only got a certain pool of refs. They're not paid, they're doing it for the love of the game," he said.
Mr Mackay did not support Otago Rugby Union's recent suggestion that club's trial silent sidelines - except for clapping - at junior rugby games. "There needs to be noise otherwise we won't have any atmosphere and kids thrive on positive encouragement. It would be extremely sad."
Tauranga Sports junior rugby president Clive Walmsley admits he gave rugby referees a bit of lip during his playing days, but the father of three boys has a different view on things now.
For the past few years, his club has been actively working to cut abuse of any kind on the rugby field, including erecting signs at Saturday games.
"We've actually had some pretty good results. It hasn't got rid of it, there's certainly those who will never get it out of their system, but our club is certainly better than it was."
Team coaches are now tasked with telling parents what is appropriate on the sideline and what isn't.
The suggestion of silent sidelines at junior rugby was not something Mr Walmsley supported.
"I don't agree with that, you've got to promote your kids, you've got to cheer them on," he said.
Mr Walmsley keeps an eye on the sideline behaviour during the junior games and said the new signs, which can be transported to problem areas, had been effective in discouraging abuse.
"They'll look at it and think, 'I don't want to be that guy'," he said.
Mr Walmsley said refereeing could be a thankless job at times and he had a lot of respect and appreciation for those who volunteered.
A Tauranga mother of three rugby-mad sons, who wished to be known only as Hayley, said she was proud of the way the supporters behaved in Tauranga but some parents tried to live out their dreams through their children.
Her 7-year-old son plays in the under-8 grade at Blake Park each Saturday and her 17-year-old in the Tauranga Boys' College 1st XV.
She described junior rugby supporters as "just an enthusiastic group of parents".
"In Tauranga, I haven't come across any negative comments. There's not one incident I can think of, otherwise I would be disgusted," she said. "Generally, I'm proud to be at the rugby games."
However, during games of all age groups, she had seen parents' egos come to the fore on the sideline.
"I would call it the parents' ego getting in the way. Living their dream through their children," she said.
However, she had witnessed referees being given a hard time at club rugby games.
"The only place I have noticed it is watching club rugby. You tend to have more negative comments than at the kids' games."
She had also experienced referees being given a hard time at college games in Rotorua and Hamilton.
"There have been a couple of over-enthusiastic parents yelling out to the ref. At away games, I've moved round to the other side of the field if I haven't liked what was going on."
Yelling abuse from the sideline did not set a good example for young players, she said.
But the Tauranga players generally showed respect for the referee.
"They're pretty good actually, the rugby at Tauranga Boys' is fostered really well for them to have respect for the ref."
The signs at Blake Park reminding parents the games were for children and run by volunteers were having an impact, she said.
"They're very visible and I've noticed a lot of people reading and making positive comments about them."
Sport New Zealand chief executive Peter Miskimmin yesterday reminded parents and other supporters to be mindful of their behaviour on the sidelines.
Recent incidents had brought sideline behaviour into the spotlight and there was no place for any sort of abuse or violence in sport, particularly children's sport, he said.
"Playing Saturday morning sport is a rite of passage for most Kiwi kids, and it should be a positive experience for them.
"It's unacceptable that some adults are hijacking that, by abusing and attacking players, officials and the opposition."
