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The Rugby Foundation charity says it is comfortable with a group of All Blacks pocketing appearance fees from a London fundraiser for New Zealanders paralysed from playing rugby.
Half the proceeds from the event, held during the All Blacks' European tour last month, was destined for the foundation, which provides financial aid for badly injured former players.
Six All Blacks accepted an appearance fee from England's National Sporting Club, the event organisers. Former captain Sean Fitzpatrick also received payment for his role as a guest speaker at the £125 ($354) black tie event attended by 450 people.
Rugby Foundation executive director Rocky Patterson said the National Sporting Club was a commercial organisation that made its profits through ticket sales.
It had paid for the All Blacks to be at the event, he told Newstalk ZB host Murray Deaker, and proceeds were to come from an auction, with proceeds split between them and the Wooden Spoon, the foundation's UK equivalent. The National Sporting Club received no money from the auction.
"If they paid the All Blacks to go to that function, then that came out of their money. It didn't have anything to do with what we received from the auctions ... They take none of that."
There had been a communication problem between the organisers and All Black management, he said.
"It meant at the last minute we had to make sure that they were there. The National Sporting Club offered to pay the All Blacks to be there, and we were quite happy with that."
Accusations the All Blacks had pocketed charity payments were simply not correct, he said.
"None of the money that was paid to them was due to us at all because our money is raised out of the charity auction."
