John Morris, headmaster of Auckland Boys Grammar School. Photo / Paul Estcourt
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A schoolboy rugby match was abandoned after three players were sent off for brawling.
The boys - two from the Tangaroa College 1st XV and one from Auckland Grammar's - will appear before the Auckland Rugby Union's disciplinary committee tonight.
The union says the three sendings-off in one week is
the biggest number in 22 years in schoolboy rugby, where red cards are rare.
The Tangaroa and Grammar players were involved in a fight on Saturday that led the referee to call off the first-round fixture.
Auckland Grammar headmaster John Morris and Tangaroa principal Ngaire Ashmore, who were at the game - called off when Grammar were ahead 18-3 - are far from happy and are promising further action.
"I have already had the 1st XV players on the mat and the player has been told whatever punishment he receives from the union will be doubled by the school," said Mr Morris.
"There is no way we are going to put up with things like this.
"It was a really messy game and having two teams in very similar colours didn't help, but that is no excuse. I am not happy that something like this should happen in the first game of the season. I was 60 yards away so I'm not sure exactly what happened but things did get a bit heated at the end."
Ms Ashmore said she had spoken to her players and the 1st XV coach.
"I thought the referee handled it well and both captains spoke to their players after the game," she said. "The players obviously saw the red mist for three minutes they were at it. That's disappointing and unacceptable.
"We worked very hard last season to stay in 1A [division] and we don't want to lose that by something like this."
After a similar incident late in a 2009 semifinal, five players from Kelston Boys' 1st XV were initially banned for up to 16 months and two from AGS for between two and seven weeks. The disparity sparked a public outcry.
Mr Morris said he had been told by the referee after Saturday's game that the result would stand but could come under scrutiny when the judicial body meets.
The chairman of the Auckland Secondary Schools Rugby Union, Jim Lonergan, said the matter would be dealt with in two ways.
"The committee will look at the incident and then decide whether points should be lost and whether any future points won by either team should be forfeited. The judiciary will also deal with the players individually.
"Red cards - which I must say are not common in school rugby - carry a mandatory two-match ban but that can be increased or, on appeal, decreased.
"It is a concern that the game was abandoned. This is not the way we would want the season to start."
Mr Lonergan applauded Mr Morris' promise of further action.
