Hawke’s Bay rugby player pleads guilty to driving charges

A fence which was damaged by the player in a crash. Photo / RNZ / Lauren Crimp

A Hawke’s Bay rugby player has pleaded guilty to drink-driving and careless driving at Hastings District Court.

The man was charged after crashing into a fence in Napier following Ranfurly Shield post-match celebrations last month.

Judge Richard Earwaker granted him interim name suppression on Thursday, which will be in place until his next hearing in January.

The man’s lawyer Eric Forster said he would be seeking discharge without conviction.

The Ranfurly Shield post-match celebrations became the centre of controversy after the Log o’ Wood was split in two, and images of white powder on the shield circulated on social media.

Last week, a New Zealand Rugby investigation into the saga found insufficient evidence to conclude whether or not the powder was a drug. It confirmed the shield broke when it was accidentally dropped by a player on a concrete floor.

Hawke’s Bay Rugby confirmed it would conduct a confidential employment investigation over the coming weeks, which could affect players in next year’s campaign.

Chief executive Jay Campbell said the union accepted the findings of the investigation.

“Whilst this was a genuine accident, no one is more disappointed than the Union and playing group. We continue to take full responsibility for the damage and remain committed to supporting the process of repair.”