The West Coast Rugby Union has been slapped with a $5000 fine and deducted points after breaching player eligibility rules in the Heartland Championship.
A new New Zealand Rugby investigation found one player did not meet the minimum club game requirement outlined in the regulations and a statutory declaration submitted before the season was inaccurate.
That led to West Coast being fined $5000 and stripped of 15 competition points for the 2025 season.
West Coast had made a hot start to the season with a record of three wins, and two losses, to sit fourth on the ladder. They now drop back to 10th.
It is not the first time West Coast have been penalised, having also breached the rules in 2010 and 2018.
NZR general manager community rugby Steve Lancaster said the decision reflected the seriousness of the breach and the union’s previous history.
"The Heartland Championship is an important part of grassroots rugby in New Zealand," Lancaster said.
"It’s vital that the teams in this competition are representative of the communities they represent."
West Coast chief executive Josh Costello said he was disappointed and fully accepted the outcome of the investigation.
"I will now be looking into what happened in more detail and will take further action if needed to ensure this doesn’t happen again," Costello said.
"We were having a great season, and it’s heartbreaking that some poor decisions off the field will impact the final outcome for us.
"I am committed to rebuilding trust and integrity within our union and the Heartland Championship so that next season we come back even stronger."
West Coast will host North Otago in the six round clash this afternoon. — Allied Media
