Rugby: Coast lose points over ineligible Reid

The breaches were considered by a New Zealand Rugby pane. Neil Sorensen is the New Zealand Rugby Union executive representative. Photo / Richard Robinson

East Coast Rugby has been fined $3000 and will lose two competition points after a New Zealand Rugby panel found it fielded an ineligible player in the Heartland Championship this season.

Lock Everard Reid, who plays club rugby for MAC in Hawke's Bay, was found to have been ineligible because he appeared for MAC outside the timeframe that would have allowed him to be classed as an East Coast local player.

The Coast has now completed documentation for Reid to be classed as a loan player for the rest of the season.

Reid turned out for East Coast in their pre-season Ranfurly Shield challenge against Waikato on July 30 and in two Pink Batts Heartland Championship matches, against Horowhenua Kapiti on August 24 and King Country on August 31.

The breaches were considered by a New Zealand Rugby panel made up of New Zealand Rugby Union executive representative Neil Sorensen, New Zealand Rugby board member Wayne Peters and chaired by lawyer Roger Drummond. East Coast admitted the breaches.

The panel emphasised the importance of maintaining integrity around eligibility rules and noted that while the breaches were not deliberate, they reflected an unacceptable lack of care, particularly in making relevant checks before providing the pre-season statutory declaration.

The panel also noted East Coast had been guilty of breaches in 2004 and 1998.

The Coast earned four competition points across the two competition matches in which Reid was ineligible to play, putting them in 11th position on the points table. The deduction of two points will see them drop to four points on the leader board, but this does not affect their overall standing.

Half the fine will be suspended for five years, provided the union does not breach regulations in that time.