KEY POINTS:
Not long ago, an All Black was having a quiet drink with a friend in a bar.
No fuss, no bother, until a punter wandered over with a couple of Jagermeister-armed-with-depth-charger drinks (parents, ask your teenagers).
"On me, mate," was the greeting. The player politely declined, then put up with a short burst of hanger-on-itis, with which All Blacks, ever since the black jersey was first pulled on, are familiar.
It's unfortunate but often true that when prominent young sportsmen socialise in public they must be alert to the bolshy intruder, and, the later the evening wears on, the bloke looking for a stoush. It's a testosterone-raging, chest-out mood of confrontation they often face.
All Blacks, booze and the public domain. It's a potent mix. The scenario above might not precisely relate to Jimmy Cowan's predicament, but his is a sorry tale.
The backdrop to Cowan's reprieve, with a hefty rider, is three disorderly conduct charges in the last couple of months, plus an earlier red card from a Junior All Blacks tour of Australia three years ago, and subsequent week's suspension from the New Zealand Rugby Union after an incident in a bar.
The range of opinions on what to do with him yesterday stretched from giving the man another chance to dishing out 30 lashes and posting him back to Mataura forthwith.
Cowan has serious form, but human decency demands that he be given a chance to sort his life out, now that he's admitted he's got a problem. However, he has pushed the envelope to the edge.
"When he's not drinking, Jimmy is a great kid," said Rugby Southland chief executive Roger Clark last night in a telling observation.
The New Zealand Rugby Union response has been clear - shape up son, or you're toast. There is a solid argument to say shock therapy - say, dumping from the squad this weekend as a short, sharp reminder of what he has to lose - was a better option.
There is a low tolerance vibe over players getting hammered and raising their fists at 4am. Remember that where 2am may have been considered a late night 30 years ago, there has been a substantial shift in nightlife habits.
For 2am, now read 4, 5 or 6am. Drive down Queen St, round the Viaduct or along Karangahape Rd at that hour on a Saturday or Sunday for the evidence.
The union has also put a sword of Damocles over Cowan's head, in saying it reserved the right to take more action depending on the outcome of his court appearances.
Cowan's future is in his own hands. The next time he passes the door to the Final Opportunity Tavern, if he has half a brain he'll keep walking.
