KEY POINTS:
A row has broken out over new "anti-poaching" rules introduced for high school sport stars - as players are sidelined from new season games.
New Zealand under-19s touch representative Lara Diamond-Brahne, 16, missed the first game of the season this week after moving from Auckland Girls Grammar to Mt Albert Grammar this year.
Her mother Debbie Brahne has called in her lawyer.
"I'm pretty gutted about it and pretty upset," said Lara, who also plays netball, basketball and competes in athletics.
"I turned up to my school touch game and they came up to me and said that I wasn't allowed to play otherwise my team will get disqualified."
Under new rules introduced at the end of last year, Lara can't represent her new school in top level inter-school competition for 12 months unless her old school gives permission.
The College Sport bylaw is designed to combat the poaching of high school sports stars - in the past lured to other schools by scholarships and other enticements.
It is understood two other cases are already in mediation. Operations manager Jacqui Nassau said College Sport did not have any records showing how many students had been "poached" in the past.
The rule had overwhelming support when it passed at the special Auckland Secondary School Heads annual general meeting.
Ms Brahne said Auckland Girls was told in October her daughter was moving schools.
"If they wanted her to stay there, they should have approached her and said 'hey come on, stay at the school'. As far as I'm concerned, she should be allowed to play sports."
