Kelston rugby brawlers face board

Kelston Boys' High principal Steve Watt said the severity of the suspensions has caused widespread disbelief among the local community. Photo / Dean Purcell

Seven Kelston Boys' High School rugby players suspended after a brawl following a secondary schools rugby semifinal appeared before the school's board of trustees last night to learn their fates.

The boys - five First XV players and two Second XV players who joined in the fight - have been suspended since last week, after the fracas with Auckland Grammar School students on August 15.

The board, which was meeting the group as the Herald went to print, can expel them or allow them back to school. A judicial hearing has already banned five boys from playing rugby for periods ranging from 45 to 71 weeks.

The punishments have attracted criticism because four Auckland Grammar students were banned from for two to seven weeks. A fifth Grammar player faced no ban.

The Auckland Rugby Football Union disciplinary committee defended its decisions, saying each ban was decided on an individual basis, including whether a player would also be banned from representative matches this season.