Conflict over school rugby brawl continues

Neil Grimstone is alleged to have failed to declare a conflict of interest concerning his friendship with the father of an Auckland Grammar player involved in the brawl. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

A rugby disciplinary committee member has been accused of failing to declare a friendship with the father of a boy involved in a violent schoolboy rugby brawl - the sole boy acquitted of wrongdoing.

Five Kelston Boys' High players and four Auckland Grammar players were banned after the ugly August 15 brawl. But Kurt Eklund, the Auckland Grammar hooker and vice-captain, was cleared.

The Kelston students are appealing their playing bans of between 10 and 16 months, alleging they are disproportionate - given that the four Grammar boys were banned for only two to seven weeks.

The Herald on Sunday has learned that one of the issues to be raised is an alleged friendship between Neil Grimstone, a former detective senior sergeant on the disciplinary committee, and Mark Eklund, the Grammar player's father and another former police officer.

Queen's Counsel John Haigh and Kelston Boys' High board chairman Richard Wood have filed an appeal, to be heard next Saturday. They will allege that Grimstone failed to declare a conflict of interest created by his friendship with Eklund.

Wood said he had been advised that the two men went to police college together and played Mercantile House Cricket together for a police team. They had also been seen together socially at Twenty20 cricket matches, he said.

The Kelston lawyers should have been advised of this relationship at the disciplinary hearing.

"We were unaware of any relationship that may have existed between Mr Grimstone and Mr Eklund," Wood said.

Footage showed the brawl had started after Kurt Eklund grabbed at a Kelston player's shirt to haul him off the ball. The Kelston player then jumped up and punched him, and the fight broke out.

Grimstone did declare another potential conflict, in that his son attends Auckland Grammar and plays hockey for the school.

Grimstone and Eklund both refused to answer questions about whether they were friends.

Grimstone said: "I am not going to answer anything about it. I am not commenting about anything at all. It is done and dusted and that's it. Finished."

Eklund responded in almost identical terms: "I have no comment to make about the matter. It is done and dusted."

Both men hung up on the Herald on Sunday after being asked about their relationship.

Auckland Rugby Football Union chief executive Andy Dalton declined to answer questions about the disparate penalties, Kurt Eklund's acquittal, and the alleged relationship between Grimstone and Mark Eklund.

"The ARFU will be making submissions to the appeal committee, but will not be making any public statement prior," he said. "To do so could potentially be seen as affecting the players' right to a fair hearing."

Auckland Grammar principal John Morris is overseas and could not be contacted. The school would not comment in his absence.