Schoolboy rugby has become accustomed to the occasional ugly incident involving overzealous supporters. Most can be explained by heightened emotions, condemned for what they are and, with time, forgotten.
But when video footage appears to show one of your own first-team players throwing punches in an altercation involving adults on the touchline, it becomes something entirely different. It becomes a public relations nightmare.
Without knowing precisely what sparked the incident, the footage appears to have been taken while Menlopark held a commanding 36-5 lead in the 1st XV match. What seems to have begun as a verbal confrontation between a group of Menlo supporters in a gazebo behind the posts and EG Jansen players gradually escalated.
One can reasonably assume there may have been comments from the adults directed at the schoolboys. If so, those comments appear to have been answered. For a brief moment, the confrontation looked to be losing momentum.
Then within seconds, tensions flared again. The disagreement quickly descended into a physical confrontation, with punches and apparent headbutts being exchanged.
What will concern EG Jansen most is not merely that a fight broke out, but that the widely shared footage appears to show two of their own players becoming physically involved. While the majority of the EG squad seemed disciplined enough to remain on the outside of the altercation, those images have now travelled far beyond the rugby community and become the defining picture of the afternoon.
Predictably, social media responded with outrage. Among the more extreme reactions were calls for EG Jansen to be expelled from the Noordvaal Cup and suspended from the competition for an extended period.
That, however, raises another difficult question.
The individuals at the centre of this incident will, in all likelihood, have moved on from the school within months. The people who would ultimately carry the consequences of such sweeping sanctions would be future players, pupils and parents who played no part in what happened.
That does not mean the incident should be minimised. Quite the opposite.
The events demand a meaningful response. If the facts establish misconduct, there should be consequences that are firm enough to send a clear message that this type of behaviour has no place in school sport. Accountability matters.
But equally important is ensuring that any punishment is measured, proportionate and based on the facts rather than the understandable emotion generated by a video that has now gone viral.
Schoolboy rugby has built a reputation for passion, respect and sportsmanship. Incidents like this threaten that image. The challenge now is not only to deal appropriately with those responsible, but also to ensure that one regrettable afternoon does not define an entire school or the values the game strives to uphold.
This match was called off after the incident.
Disappointing, really. I wonder if the GDE will have something to say. The schools in question must act fast and deal with the violence. This drags all of schools rugby through the mud, notwithstanding the 500 games without incident for every embarrassing disgrace like this.