The cash-strapped Waikato Rugby Union paid $208,000 to secure a bar which was the "Home of Waikato Rugby", even though it was sponsored by another.
The Herald yesterday revealed the union paid $208,000 for a 15 per cent stake in the House on Hood bar in 2010 while it was lagging behind on its rental payments for Waikato Stadium so the bar could be "established as the Home of Waikato Rugby".
But spectators at last year's Waikato rugby games recalled the CBD Corner Pub being touted as the place to meet players after the match.
The Waikato Rugby Union says both the House on Hood and CBD Corner Pub are its official bars because its owns shares in one and is sponsored by the other.
Waikato Rugby Union chief executive Graham Bowen said last night that the union used both bars and the rugby players often ate at House and then walked across the road for a meet and greet at CBD Corner Pub, depending on how big the crowd was.
