Rugby: Title 'stolen' - Former Wallabies prop Sekope Kepu sparks Kiwi club rugby controversy

The return of former Wallabies prop Sekope Kepu to New Zealand club rugby has taken a controversial twist after he played for Karaka in the semifinal of the Counties Manukau premier club competition, a turn of events that has been described by a representative of a rival club as a "travesty".

Kepu, 35, a veteran of 110 tests, had played only one previous match for Karaka before last Saturday and was given a late dispensation – on safety grounds – to appear in the playoff match against Manurewa.

Kepu had registered with the Counties Manukau Rugby Union only 10 days previously.
It's generally accepted that players appear in at least four round-robin matches for their clubs before they're eligible to play in finals. In a statement, Counties Manukau chief executive Aaron Lawton defended the decision, saying it was not made lightly. A Karaka representative did not respond to the Herald's request for comment.

Manurewa, who had beaten Karaka twice in the round-robin this year, were leading 25-7 at halftime but finished as 36-25 losers after Kepu took the field as a strategic replacement after the break.

Sekope Kepu lines up for the Wallabies against Samoa in 2019. Photo / Photosport

Manurewa president Kere Maihi told the Herald his club had been informed at 4.43pm on the day before the match that Kepu had received a dispensation to play for Karaka.
He claimed that Karaka applied for a dispensation citing a lack of front-rowers and concern for player safety. He said the application was written on a local law firm's letterhead.

"We had no chance to protest or make our feelings known," Maihi said. "The only thing we could do is follow the bylaws and play under protest which ended up being a bag of wind – it meant nothing."

An appeal launched by Manurewa was dismissed on Tuesday night.

"Since the game, it has been full-on with all sorts of dealings," he said. "I would like to stress that the Counties Manukau CEO and union don't have the authority with these decisions. The Karaka club, while we deem their actions unsportsmanlike, they also were entitled to take those actions, although their timing was immaculate.

"The people who are answerable for this travesty is the executive committee of the council of delegates. They have the power to make discretionary decisions and they gave the dispensation, albeit under duress, I believe.

"We consider that the timing was calculated... Karaka had lost two props to the Tongan side [to play the All Blacks) five weeks prior but they still managed to field a full contingent against us three weeks later. And their reserves side was knocked out of contention one week prior which further added to their player stocks. Why then was a Wallaby prop allowed to play?"

Maihi said the honourable solution for Karaka was to default the game or agree to play with non-contested scrums.

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Counties boss Lawton told the Herald: "The rules for club rugby in Counties Manukau are set and administered by the clubs and in this case, the decision was made by a collection of club delegates (our Council of Delegates Executive Committee) to let Sekope play in the finals.

"Karaka were entitled to seek that exemption within our club bylaws and I can assure you the people who approved it did not make the decision lightly and were ultimately governed by a desire to prioritise player safety above all else.

"At the same time, while the Union had no jurisdiction in this matter, we can certainly sympathise with Manurewa.

"I think probably the disappointing thing here that's been lost given what's gone on is that we should be celebrating the fact one of our own in Sekope Kepu, who made his start in rugby in Counties Manukau before going on to play 110 tests for Australia, is home and has a real desire to contribute to grassroots rugby both at the club level and for the Steelers.

"If this was any time other than during club finals, I'd like to think that would be a cause for celebration."

Kepu, who cut short his contract with London Irish to return to New Zealand, the country of his birth, with his family, will play for the Counties Manukau Steelers in this year's national provincial competition. He has previously told the Herald that he would be interested in a return to Super Rugby and potentially for the newly-formed Moana Pasifika.

"He came on and, to be fair, he's still got the goods," Maihi said. "He turned the game. He definitely did change the game.

"We had a 20-year-old and a 21-year-old marking him when he came on and they did reasonably well for two young and relatively inexperienced props. But when he put his mind to it, he could do whatever he wanted."

Maihi said his view was backed by others besides his club. "It's backed by at least five other clubs throughout the Counties Manukau union."

He added: "We have 30-something players who have spent the whole year getting to this point and then they bring in a professional player to come in and basically steal away a title."