One rugby player flown to Middlemore Hospital, another discharged, both injured in games

A person has been flown from a Taranaki rugby club to Middlemore Hospital with serious injuries.

The patient is understood to have been injured in a club rugby game at the Clifton Rugby Club in Tikorangi, near Waitara, north of New Plymouth this afternoon.

St John confirmed it was called to the incident at 1.34pm and a patient was transported with serious injuries to Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland.

A spokeswoman could not say why the patient was not transported to Waikato Hospital which is closer but Counties Manukau District Health Board has a specialist spinal unit.

It follows an injury to a teenage girl in Whangamata on Thursday afternoon during a girls rugby pre-seasong training match between Whangamata and Whitianga.

The girl, a back, was knocked over during a tackle and the game called off while she was tended to by paramedics on the field.

She was then flown by the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter to Middlemore Hospital with suspected spinal injuries but was discharged by today.