Rugby: Police escort needed for Opotiki visitors

Visiting female rugby players had to have a police escort out of Opotiki in the eastern Bay of Plenty after an ugly confrontation with local supporters.

The confrontation involved three former Opotiki College students - all young women - who were believed to have been intoxicated and were abusing a girls' team from Edgecumbe College.

The incident occurred at a match at Opotiki College this month, which Edgecumbe College won.

College staff tried to defuse the situation and police were called in.

The supporters have been blamed for inciting the debacle by hurling abuse at an Edgecumbe player, who was said to have retaliated with a hand gesture.

Words were exchanged and it was understood threats were made.

Trieste Delamere, the college sports co-ordinator and girls' rugby coach, said he had asked the three young women to leave, only to be met with resistance.

"We ushered both teams to the college gym where the three girls were waiting outside and still abusing the Edgecumbe players, so our next step was to call police," he said.

"We handled it by putting the safety of everyone first."

With the assistance of police, the Edgecumbe players were escorted out of town, while the three supporters were arrested and trespassed.

The college has filed an incident report with the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union and sent a letter of apology to Edgecumbe College.

Robyn Abraham-Harris, Opotiki's deputy principal, labelled the incident "horrible".

Processes around hosting games would be reviewed and if similar behaviour by spectators continued, weekend and after-school games might come to an end, she said.

"Spectators who behave like those three young women put things at risk which is unfair on the kids," she said.

"All we can do is apologise, which we have done. It's just an unpleasant situation for both sides because our staff were abused as well."

Edgecumbe College did not return calls.

- NZPA