A Timaru rugby club has been sanctioned over verbal threats and physical targeting of former All Black Hika Elliot during a round-robin match in South Canterbury’s Hamersley Cup competition.
Harlequins, which will on Saturday contest the final of the competition against Celtic, went before the judiciary following a match against Mackenzie at Ashbury Park on June 8.
Mackenzie laid a complaint over the behaviour shown towards Elliot on the field, which included threats of violence against him.
The match, which was won by the hosts 38-17, had four yellow cards handed out to Harlequins players.
Elliot, a former All Black and NZ Māori player, has been playing for the Mackenzie side, having been cleared to do so after moving to the area.
In its decision, dated June 27, the judiciary found Elliot was not only verbally abused but also physically targeted “which was outside the spirit and laws [of] the game”.
The judiciary was made up of former Crown solicitor and World Rugby official Tim Gresson, former international referee Colin Hawke and Karyn Geary, a company director.
Both clubs made submissions over the incident, with Harlequins suggesting it was at the “low end” of misconduct and that bad language was not uncommon.
Mackenzie asked for the suspension of a player, the calling in of a behaviour bond enforced upon the club, the deduction of competition points and the forfeiture of any home game for the semi or final.
The judiciary declined the first two requests and said it would not be fair to activate a $2000 fine as that would “unfairly impact on club members (who are volunteers) and not the players who were involved in some of the on-field abuse’’.
It also said any points deduction, to be meaningful (given Harlequins held a 13 point lead) would be disproportionate and “too severe”.
However, it did agree to stripping Harlequins of the chance to play its semifinal at home.
“We agree, given the level of verbal overall abuse directed at Hika generally by some persons attending the game, and some of the on-field players, it is not appropriate the club’s semi-final match is played at its home ground (Ashbury Park).”
It said the semi-final should be played at a venue determined by the SCRFU, and said it understood the Union intended for the final to be played at a venue neutral to both teams.
However, the final, between Harlequins and Celtic this weekend, would not be played on neutral ground but at the home ground of Harlequins – Ashbury Park.
South Canterbury Rugby Union chief executive Tim Hyde-Smith said it was hoped the final could be played at Fraser Park, but a lack of grass had ruled that out.
Hyde-Smith said consideration had been given to holding the match at Pleasant Point, but traffic management and other logistical issues had ruled that out.
He said the Union had been in contact with Harlequins regarding the management of the final on Saturday, and had put extra staffing measures in place.
That included four security guards and extra SCRU staff to assist match day officials. Celtic had also been asked to provide additional match day officials, he said.
He said Harlequins, which collected a gate entry at the semifinal, would make a donation to Geraldine for use of its facilities.
The judiciary also ordered Harlequins to send Elliot a letter of apology for the “unnecessary verbal abuse made by some of its players”.
“[He] ... should be welcomed by the South Canterbury Rugby community, and not made to feel sad and disillusioned as was vividly described during the hearings.”
It also told the club to implement further measures to ensure players, coaches and members fully adhered to its code of conduct.
“In this respect it should closely liaise with the Union for the purpose of achieving these outcomes.”
On Thursday, Gresson said post-match events had led the judiciary to believe one of the alleged threats, the shouting of the Tongan term hoka, was made in respect, rather than the more sinister alternative.
“After the match a number of Harlequins players had their photographs taken with Hika and he went back to the clubrooms.
“We saw that as a mark of respect.”
Sideline behaviour
Asked about sideline behaviour during the season, Hyde-Smith said staff had asked people to refrain from unacceptable behaviour throughout the season.
Footage of Saturday’s semifinal, uploaded to YouTube by South Canterbury Rugby, was littered with unsavoury language and calls for violence from the sideline.
Hyde-Smith said he was aware of that and said spectators had been spoken to about their language by match day officials and Union staff.
“South Canterbury Rugby, in conjunction with its clubs and stakeholders, aims to make the playing environment on and off the field as safe as possible for all concerned.
“We are committed in promoting greater player and community wellbeing. Verbal abuse, foul language threatening and intimidating behaviour is totally unacceptable,” Hyde-Smith said.
He said while it encouraged clubs to provide family-friendly environments, the union was limited in what measures it could take to prevent such behaviour, as matches were most often played on public grounds.
“If it was at Fraser Park, it would be a different story.”
- The Timaru Herald / Stuff