The Highlanders released a statement yesterday about an incident involving a group of players in the resort over the weekend.
The players went to Queenstown during their bye weekend and it ended up with police being called to the apartment complex in which they were staying.
Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark said no Highlanders had broken anything and no-one from the team would be charged by police, but he was disappointed in what had occurred.
‘‘It's always disappointing when something like this happens. There are no excuses and it’s not what we expect from the players and not the way the Highlanders behave,’’ he said.
‘‘I have passed that on to the individuals concerned, as a collective and to the whole team.’’
He would be surprised it did not get through to everyone in the team what was expected. He said the players had to remember they were Highlanders all the time and had standards to live up to.
He did not believe it was a distraction to the team although it was a distraction to the management which had to deal with the matter over the past couple of days.
The sanctions would be kept internally as it was an employment matter but it could include missing games or trainings.
He would not name the players as again it was an internal employment matter. He was keen for the organisation to put the matter behind it and concentrate on the match against the Blues in Dunedin on Sunday.
Clark said seven players had booked a weekend in Queenstown at the Glebe Apartments and, on Friday night, some of the players were joined by other people in their apartment. Some of these people had met the players only that night.
Glebe Apartment management then received multiple complaints about the noise coming from the apartment and police were called. Police arrested a 24-year-old man for wilful damage and disorderly behaviour.
Clark said no Highlanders player had caused any damage or would be facing police action.
But he said that did not excuse the actions of the players and the anti-social behaviour which disturbed guests at the complex and said the behaviour was well below what was expected as a team or together in downtime.
The Highlanders had contacted the Glebe Apartments management and apologised for the behaviour.
He said friends of the 24-year-old man who was arrested had contacted the Highlanders and made an apology for his behaviour and said it was completely out of character. The apology had been accepted.
- The man accused of intentionally damaging a luxury apartment building in Queenstown early on Saturday, while allegedly partying with members of the Highlanders, has had his case adjourned until September.
He faces two intentional damage charges — one relates to two walls, property of The Glebe Luxury Apartments, the other a Holden station wagon, property of New Zealand Police.
The man did not appear in the Queenstown District Court yesterday — the matter is expected to be called on September 7.
Comments
Sounds like nothing changes in Rugby and the behaviour in public, to the public, is then swept from the public eye and same of the repercussions and public apology. Whilst some may not have caused damage it seems none could the leadership to curb others behaviour and to quieten down the happenings and show respect to others in the complex and consideration for the manager, as police were called several times. Just unacceptable and until management clearly demonstrates, publicly demonstrate it is so, until then it keeps happening.