Derek Flynn/Stuff
A Stokes Valley rugby player is facing disciplinary action after he allegedly kicked an opponent in the head. (File photo)
A Wellington club rugby player is in hot water after he allegedly kicked an opponent in the head in an “ugly” on-field incident. Johnsonville club chair Blair Hannah said he saw a Stokes Valley lock kick one of his team s players multiple times, “including one big boot to the head , as the Johnsonville player went to turn over the ball during the premier 2 men’s game on Saturday at Johnsonville’s home turf of Helston Park. “It was just ugly to see. It was really disappointing.”
Report from RNZ
The father of a Wellington club rugby player was attacked and players subjected to “repeated vile racial slurs” by another club’s supporters before a fight broke out after a match on Saturday, according to Marist St Pats chairman Rob Evans.
The match between MSP and Old Boys University clubs at Wellington College was marred by a brawl in the final minutes, which Evans said involved players and spectators.
Wellington Rugby is investigating the brawl, which Evans said involved allegations of racial and physical abuse towards its players by OBU supporters and ex-players.
“It is clear some of our players became upset following repeated, vile racial slurs and the attack on the father of one of our players by an intoxicated group of OBU supporters. Just as violence cannot be tolerated, the kind of racial abuse witnessed on Saturday has no place in our game or society,” Evans said.
Brittany Keogh05:00, May 11 2021
Stuff
At least one Marist St Pats player was allegedly involved in a brawl with rival spectators at a game against Old Boys University on Saturday. (File photo)
Violence at a Wellington club rugby match during the weekend, which may have been sparked by a racial slur yelled from the sidelines, was among the worst a witness, who is a veteran journalist, has seen in 10 years of reporting on the sport. A fight, involving players and spectators, broke out in the last minutes of the Jack Lamason Memorial Cup match between Marist St Pats and Old Boys’ University at Wellington College on Saturday afternoon.