NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • All Blacks
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Under-8s rugby game called off after adults storm field

NZ Herald
18 May, 2015 05:34 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
    • captions off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      Autoplay in
      5
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      My Parents are Ugly? Watch the cartoon with all the family. Come on Mum and Dad – sort out your sideline behaviour! While most parents are great sideline supporters, some aren’t. My Parents are Ugly is a book from New Zealand Rugby as part of their Applaud initiative, based on a boy’s view of his parents at a game of rugby.

      A junior rugby game was called off Saturday when adults stormed the field after an altercation between some of the young players.

      The game, played by under-8-year-olds from Ponsonby Rugby Club and Waitemata Rugby Club, came to an end minutes before the end of the match because of the incident.

      DO YOU KNOW MORE? EMAIL NEWSDESK@NZHERALD.CO.NZ

      It was understood the incident happened at Coxs Bay in upmarket Westmere.

      Waitemata Club chairman Mark Mallabar said he had read the report from his club, but not the report from the Ponsonby Club.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      He understood that an adult from the Ponsonby team had "manhandled one of our kids".

      He was stopped by the mother of the child, and there was an "altercation" between the two, Mr Mallabar said.

      However, he stressed he had only read one report into the incident.

      "Until you hear both sides, you don't know."

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Waitemata's junior club captain Josh Hyde and the Ponsonby coach calmed the situation down, Mr Mallabar said.

      "There was some verbalness between parties - there was eight minutes to go or six minutes to go - and that was it."

      It was disappointing when these incidents happened, he said.

      Mr Mallabar said he wanted to get a sign for the field reminding parents the game was for children and was not a World Cup match.

      Discover more

      Super Rugby

      Rugby needs private owners

      17 May 10:08 PM
      Sport|rugby

      Fantasy Super Rugby: Team of the Week - Round 14

      18 May 01:43 AM
      Super Rugby

      Rebels bought by NZ-born businessman

      18 May 05:37 AM
      New Zealand

      Parents, coaches to work through brawl

      19 May 12:28 AM

      The Auckland Rugby Union "swamped" clubs with information about fair play, he said.

      "I'd hate for rugby to be tarnished over one incident where someone's just got carried away and has seen something where their kid has got affected and they've run on without really engaging their brain and then somebody else has run on because their little Tommy is being manhandled."

      Ponsonby's chairman of junior selection Brent Metson said he was aware of the incident.

      "The respective club delegates are looking into the matter and I can't comment any further until they've had their investigation."

      Auckland Rugby Union confirmed it had received reports about an alleged incident at the under-8s game on Saturday between Ponsonby and Waitemata.

      "An incident occurred that started on the field and then I believe spectators got involved but I don't know the extent of it," Auckland Rugby communications manager Libby Gudmundsson said.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      "We have had reports from both clubs now. It's just a matter of going through this and making sure we have a clear picture of what happened."

      Miss Gudmundsson said it was important to establish the facts as the union did not send match officials to under-8 grade games.

      "So it's going to be what the opposing clubs say. We need to get a clear understanding before we know whether we need to take it further."

      It's not the first time spectator's tempers have flared at rugby matches. Four Auckland Grammar and five Kelston Boys' players were banned in 2009 after scores of spectators waded into an on-field brawl between the boys.

      Police were called after a referee was punched in the face, allegedly by a spectator, at a rugby final between Auckland Grammar and De La Salle College last August.

      In June, two Porirua men attacked supporters and the coach of the opposing team at an under-11 game. The previous month a parent grabbed the ref's throat at an under-10s match in Papatoetoe.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      In 2011, five Otahuhu Rugby Club players were banned for life after assaulting a whistler at the conclusion of an under-19s match, Hawke's Bay Magpies mascot Kahu the Magpie kneed her Bay of Plenty Steamers counterpart Hori in the groin in an ugly sideline clash.

      -Additional reporting New Zealand Herald.

      Save

        Share this article

      Latest from New Zealand

      New ZealandUpdated

      Tornado strikes Hamilton, thunderstorms buffet upper North Island

      29 May 10:05 AM
      New Zealand

      'Painfully relevant': Debate over flag artwork prompts its removal by gallery

      29 May 09:14 AM
      New Zealand

      Two seriously injured in alleged Auckland grievous assault

      29 May 08:32 AM

      Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

      sponsored
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Recommended for you
      'Painfully relevant': Debate over flag artwork prompts its removal by gallery
      New Zealand

      'Painfully relevant': Debate over flag artwork prompts its removal by gallery

      29 May 09:14 AM
      'Consistent with a phone': Alleged killer's lawyer questions police search
      World

      'Consistent with a phone': Alleged killer's lawyer questions police search

      29 May 08:37 AM
      Two seriously injured in alleged Auckland grievous assault
      New Zealand

      Two seriously injured in alleged Auckland grievous assault

      29 May 08:32 AM
      'Pushing them hard': Media Minister on TVNZ's financials ...  and RNZ's falling radio ratings
      Media Insider

      'Pushing them hard': Media Minister on TVNZ's financials ... and RNZ's falling radio ratings

      29 May 08:30 AM
      Family adds to calls for action after teen dies in run it straight tackle game
      New Zealand

      Family adds to calls for action after teen dies in run it straight tackle game

      29 May 08:01 AM

      Latest from New Zealand

      'Painfully relevant': Debate over flag artwork prompts its removal by gallery

      'Painfully relevant': Debate over flag artwork prompts its removal by gallery

      29 May 09:14 AM

      The art installation, by Diane Prince, invites people to walk on a New Zealand flag.

      Two seriously injured in alleged Auckland grievous assault

      Two seriously injured in alleged Auckland grievous assault

      29 May 08:32 AM
      Family adds to calls for action after teen dies in run it straight tackle game

      Family adds to calls for action after teen dies in run it straight tackle game

      29 May 08:01 AM
      'Manipulative and coercive': Police promise changes after review into controversial interview model

      'Manipulative and coercive': Police promise changes after review into controversial interview model

      29 May 07:39 AM
      Explore the hidden gems of NSW
      sponsored

      Explore the hidden gems of NSW

      NZ Herald
      • About NZ Herald
      • Meet the journalists
      • Newsletters
      • Classifieds
      • Help & support
      • Contact us
      • House rules
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of use
      • Competition terms & conditions
      • Our use of AI
      Subscriber Services
      • NZ Herald e-editions
      • Daily puzzles & quizzes
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • Hawke's Bay Today
      • Whanganui Chronicle
      • Viva
      • NZ Listener
      • What the Actual
      • Newstalk ZB
      • BusinessDesk
      • OneRoof
      • Driven CarGuide
      • iHeart Radio
      • Restaurant Hub
      NZME
      • About NZME
      • NZME careers
      • Advertise with NZME
      • Digital self-service advertising
      • Book your classified ad
      • Photo sales
      • NZME Events
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search