Pat Lam. Photo / Dean Purcell
The coach of the Blues Super 14 team says rugby players involved in violent off-field incidents are reflective of New Zealand society.
At a conference on Thursday, Pat Lam downplayed incidents involving some members of his team. "It's not just our team, it's society in general. There is not one
sports team that hasn't had an issue."
Lam said there were no incidents of off-field player violence on the recent Blues tour. "When they are out on their own at night they are representing themselves."
Lam said player violence was reflective of New Zealand society.
"We have that culture right throughout New Zealand. The amount of murders we have, they get pushed and some people break - it's not isolated to just our team, it's society in general," Lam said.
Blues winger Rene Ranger has been stood down from this week's Super 14 match against the Reds at Albany, while police investigate a street fight in Matakana that left a man unconscious.
The Auckland Rugby Union has said it will await the outcome of the police investigation into the Matakana incident before finalising a misconduct hearing.
Sergeant Bede Haughey of Warkworth said police had one more person to interview before making a decision on charges in relation to the street fight.
It is understood Ranger was egged on by a local man until he lashed out, and did not instigate the altercation.
In a separate incident, Taniela Moa missed the Blues' ninth-round match against the Lions at Eden Park, was fined $1200 and ordered to undertake alcohol counselling for throwing a bottle that struck another player's girlfriend.
Auckland Rugby Union chief executive Andy Dalton said there were programmes in place to manage player behaviour and was frustrated the message was not getting through to some.
"I guess these guys are making some bad decisions and paying the consequences," he said.
Mr Dalton said players needed to remember the effect bad publicity had on family and friends.
"Taniela [Moa] was splashed across the front page [of the paper] and he's very ashamed of that."
