School rugby players suspended for fighting

Auckland Grammar School Principal John Morris. Photo / Doug Sherring

Two high school rugby players have been suspended from the sport after they were sent off for brawling during their 1st XV game at the weekend.

Three players - two from Tangaroa's 1st XV and one from Auckland Grammar's - were red-carded for fighting at the first-round fixture, and the match was called off by the referee.

An Auckland Rugby Union disciplinary committee decided last night that each team should lose two match points.

Committee convenor Martin Devoy said the 18-3 scoreline to Auckland Grammar at the time of the abandonment would stand as the official result.

The judicial panel of three Rugby Union members suspended one Auckland Grammar student from all rugby for three weeks and one Tangaroa player for two weeks.

A second Tangaroa player was found to have no case to answer.

The union said three sendings-off in one week was schoolboy rugby's biggest number in 22 years.

Auckland Grammar headmaster John Morris and Tangaroa principal Ngaire Ashmore, who were at the game, said they were unhappy with the behaviour.

Ms Ashmore did not attend last night's meeting but said she would be meeting the team's coach, Martin Ash, who did go.

"We'll sit down tomorrow and discuss whether there needs to be any further punishment from the school," she said.

"But I have faith in the Rugby Union and in College Sport, in how they administer punishment.

"The people on the disciplinary committee I'm sure have lots of experience so if that's what they deem to be a reasonable outcome, I'll respect that."

She said she wanted to ensure that a similar incident would never happen again.

On Monday, Mr Morris said that whatever punishment his player received, it would be doubled by Auckland Grammar.

"There is no way we are going to put up with things like this," he said at the time.

"It was a really messy game and having two teams in very similar colours didn't help, but that is no excuse. I am not happy that something like this should happen in the first game of the season.

"I was 60 yards away so I'm not sure exactly what happened, but things did get a bit heated at the end."

Mr Morris could not be reached last night.

After a similar incident in a 2009 semifinal, five players from Kelston Boys' 1st XV were initially banned for up to 16 months and two from Auckland Grammar for between two and seven weeks.

The disparity sparked a public outcry.