Abuse of officials and players at Rugby World Cup sparks legal action

World Cup final referee Wayne Barnes received death threats during the tournament in France last year (David Davies/PA)

World Rugby has revealed legal action is being taken after match officials and players suffered online abuse during the 2023 World Cup.

One individual in Australia has been charged for online abuse, cases in other jurisdictions are pending – including France, New Zealand the UK – and 1,600 social media accounts have been reported to platforms for breach of their community guidelines.