Alcohol Healthwatch, a group of health professionals which aims to reduce alcohol-related harm, was commenting on the sanctions handed to All Black Zac Guildford following his antics in Rarotonga recently.
Alcohol Healthwatch director Rebecca Williams said that while there must be personal consequences for players' poor behaviour, the NZRU needed to look in its own backyard as well.
She said evidence clearly linked repeated exposure to alcohol marketing messages and ownership of alcohol-related merchandise to early drinking, heavier drinking and the harms associated with those.
"The NZRU is contributing to the exposure of our young people to this stuff repeatedly from the grass roots up, as players and as rugby fans.
"Zac isn't the first and he won't be the last. The NZRU must take action towards ensuring rugby is contributing to address our problem drinking culture and not exacerbating it. The relationship between rugby and alcohol sponsorship must be broken,'' she said in a statement.
Guildford was suspended on Wednesday for four weeks by the NZRU following a misconduct charge relating to his drunken behaviour in the Cook Islands in November.
With the ban including the Crusaders' three Super Rugby pre-season fixtures against the Highlanders, Hurricanes and Rebels, Guildford will miss only one competition game - the match against the Blues at Eden Park on February 24.
Guildford had already been warned about his drinking, fronting a press conference in Christchurch during the World Cup to apologise for his behaviour when under the influence, before going on to allegedly assault two patrons in a Rarotonga bar and harass triathlete Kelly Pick while in the Cook Islands for a wedding.
In a statement released by the NZRU Guildford said: "I am embarrassed by what has happened, but I know that I let down the many people who support me. I am focused on getting myself into the place I need to be when I return to rugby next year.''
Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder said Guildford had vowed to give up drinking until at least the end of next year, which he was pleased about.
"What he went through is hopefully going to be a life-changing experience,'' Blackadder said. "For example he's not going to be drinking alcohol for a year and he's getting some really good therapy.
"There's no second chance to learn here. I think that's really clear. There are no more misconducts, if there's anything remotely close then he's gone.''
The NZRU's general manager of professional rugby Neil Sorensen said Guildford had agreed that professional treatment and counselling, which the wing would pay for, was an essential part of his rehabilitation.
