Police training for top sports stars

As well as the sidestep and the body swerve, rugby players are being taught evasive skills to use in pubs and nightclubs.

Former police are running the players through scenarios such as dealing with women who won't let go in a bar, avoiding people looking for a fight and avoiding drugs.

The seminars, available to all professional players and national academy and age-group teams, are thought to be an extension of courses police take.

Work and social patterns of professional rugby players and police are similar, as both work physically and mentally draining weeks and then look for a release at the end of it.

Several high-profile players, including most recently All Black Sione Lauaki, have found themselves before the courts following off-field violence.

"It's about giving them some experience and tools which they can use to deal with certain situations," said players' association manager Rob Nichol.

"It's about awareness and providing options, but it's not lecturing them about what they can and can't do.

"The moment you tell young men what they can't do you tend to get a bit of a backlash."

Mr Nichol conceded that players could role-play all the scenarios in the world, but until they actually experienced them, they wouldn't know what they were really like.

"We can give them scenarios where a fan is alcohol-impaired, but obviously they're not actually drunk at the time. You're never certain how you're going react when you're abused by someone under the influence but hopefully some of the techniques we have exposed the players to will kick in and make a difference."

Mr Nichol said individual teams often added to the programme. "Some teams have some fairly sophisticated responses and protocols in place for dealing with certain situations," he said.

The professional development programme that these seminars are a part of has been in place for five years. Jointly managed by the NZRU and Player Association, it was piloted by the Canterbury Rugby Union under the guidance of Steve Lancaster, who is now professional players manager at the New Zealand Rugby Union.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY