On the back of the New Zealand under-23 team being disqualified from the Olympic qualifying tournament due to ineligible player Deklan Wynne, Chris Rattue lists other great New Zealand team sheet stuff ups.
1) Warriors, 1995
Head coach John Monie and staff knew they were in a grey area by sending on Joe Vagana against West Suburbs as a blood-bin replacement in the third round clash. The interchange limit was four players, and Vagana was the fifth replacement used with the Warriors already assured of victory at Mt Smart Stadium. It was black and white to the Australian Rugby League - the club's first ever victory was rubbed out, they lost two competition points, and it played a part in them missing the finals. Monie accepted the blame and wore a dunce's hat at the next team training.
2) All Blacks, 2013
Manager Darren Shand put Keven Mealamu on the team sheet instead of Dane Coles as the reserve hooker for the Johannesburg test. When the error was revealed mid-match, the Springboks captain Jean de Villiers seemed to suggest a Beauden Barrett try should be ruled out, but de Villiers was also praised for his sportsmanship in accepting the human error. Huh? Red faces, but crisis averted.
3) Kiwis, 2006
Grannygate was a whole new level of team sheet stuff ups, involving a deliberate deception. The Kiwis' Tri-Nations team included Aussie Nathan Fien on the basis that he qualified via the grandparent rule, whereas his Kiwi link was a New Zealand great-grandmother. Heads rolled, points were deducted, and conspiracy accusations flew with claims Australia knew about the rort before Fien took the field. Which doesn't make it right of course. Fien later played for the Kiwis after qualifying through residency.
4) Val Adams, 2012 Olympics
New Zealand's Olympic team forgot to register Val Adams - that's Val Adams the world famous shot put star - and four other athletes for the Olympic competition. The fallout included controversy around the errant official being named. A last minute scramble saved the day just hours before the competition, with the registration deadline having been passed. Adams said her performance was affected. She initially "won" silver, but it turned into gold when the winner, Nadzeya Ostapchuk from Belarus, was disqualified on a drug test.
