KEY POINTS:
Kiwis selector Darrell Williams blames incompetent New Zealand Rugby League administration for the Nathan Fien fiasco that cost the team two points in the Tri-Nations.
"I'm just disheartened and terribly disappointed in the actions of New Zealand Rugby League," the Australia-based Williams told Radio Sport this morning.
"I
think ultimately it's the responsibility of New Zealand Rugby League to qualify everybody who becomes available to play for New Zealand, so they've dropped the ball in every sense."
The Kiwis were yesterday stripped of two Tri-Nations competition points they earned from beating Great Britain in Christchurch last Saturday.
Hooker Fien was banned for the rest of tournament by the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF).
Former Kiwis coach Graeme Lowe told Newstalk ZB today that heads should roll at the NZRL headquarters as a result of the blunder.
The RLIF ruled Australian-born Fien was ineligible to play for the Kiwis because his grandparents were not born in New Zealand as believed.
Fien, in fact, had produced proof of his great grandmother's birth in New Zealand.
The NZRL breached international rules by playing him against the Kangaroos and Great Britain, the RLIF ruled.
The NZRL, in a statement, said it regretted the error it made and sincerely apologised to all the players, teams, fans, clubs and stakeholders.
"The NZRL accepts it made an error," the statement said.
"The NZRL confirms that it will not challenge the decision.
"Nathan Fien acted honestly at all times in his disclosures to the NZRL."
The for and against scores in the New Zealand-Great Britain match last Saturday -- won 18-14 by the Kiwis -- have been rubbed off, along with New Zealand's points.
New Zealand can still qualify for the Tri-Nations final if they beat Great Britain in Wellington on November 11, provided Australia win both games against Britain.
Williams, a member of the New Zealand selection panel with coach Brian McClennan and Daryl Halligan, said he had not been kept in the loop, but had told reporters and those who rang him that the NZRL wouldn't breach rules knowingly.
"So I end up with an egg on my face now that I find out that the New Zealand Rugby League did know about this and played a player who was not eligible. That just puts mud in their face, on my face and the game of rugby league in New Zealand," he said.
"If that doesn't show the ineptitude of the current administration than nothing will.
"It's their responsibility, it's their brief, they're paid employees to look after the New Zealand Rugby League and they've just shown that they're incompetent and it doesn't make me happy.
"I'm a passionate rugby league person and to see the game falling apart because of this episode - I have to put the blame fairly and squarely on the New Zealand Rugby League."
Earlier in the week, however, Williams was playing a different tune.
He told Australia's Channel 10 on Tuesday that competitive NZ and Great Britain sides were needed for league to grow internationally.
"If we have to do that by bending the rules a little, then - big deal, let's do it", The Australian newspaper reported him as saying.
* Darrell Williams was the first Kiwi to be on a winning Grand Final side. The Kiwi test centre was a part of the Manly Sea Eagles side that won the 1987 Grand Final over Canberra. Interestingly, in that Raiders side was a youthful Brent Todd.
- NZPA, NZHERALD STAFF
