The dropping of Adam
Thomson and Michael Hobbs from this week's Super 14 match has
just made a hard job even harder, Highlanders chief executive
Richard Reid says.
The Highlanders will face the table-topping Bulls in Pretoria
minus both Thomson and Hobbs as the pair were not considered
for selection after missing a team curfew last weekend.
Hobbs and Thomson were not back in the team hotel on time
after last weekend's match against the Stormers in Cape Town.
Highlanders coach Glenn Moore said in a statement while it
was a critical decision which impacted on the team, it was in
the end a straightforward decision to make.
Players had to earn the right to play for the team and "this
slip-up, albeit out of character for these two guys, means
they don't get the opportunity to play this week".
The duo would stay with the team in Pretoria and would not be
returning home early.
Mr Reid said it was disappointing. He declined to say how
late the two were.
"It was team protocol that was agreed to the management and
the team. This wasn't something that was singularly imposed
on the team by the management. This was agreed to with the
team."
It did not matter that Thomson was an All Black and Hobbs had
been a standout player this season, Mr Reid said.
"They should not be doing it. It does not matter who it is.
These sort of things seem to happen too often for my liking.
"We've got a very hard game this week against the Bulls,
without Jimmy [captain Jimmy Cowan], and now we've lost Adam,
who has been one of the best loose forwards in the
competition, while Michael has been one of the form players.
"That just makes a hard job against the Bulls even harder."
The pair would face no further penalty, Mr Reid said.
The Highlanders' game against the Bulls starts in Pretoria at
4.05am on Sunday (NZ time).
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