Drink-drivers kept Northland police busy over the weekend, and it could be down to celebratory drinking.
However, Northland road policing manager Inspector Murray Hodson said he couldn't be sure the three big sporting wins on Saturday night - the Taniwha, the Warriors and the All Blacks - were linked with the drink-driving convictions.
Whangarei police stopped six drink-drivers including a man who blew a reading of 538 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath at 10.30am on Sunday, and believed he had sobered up after a big night out.
Alcohol Accord NZ spokesman Doug Sellman said New Zealand was a rugby-oriented nation and the sponsorship of alcohol brands within the game embedded drinking in the game.
"We use alcohol in New Zealand for both the good times and the bad times. If there is anything to celebrate, we drink."