All Blacks won't police players - Henry

Jimmy Cowan has been placed on an alcohol ban and fined $3000 dollars after being charged for disorderly behaviour. Photo / Mark Mitchell

There will be no change to the All Blacks' post-match protocol despite the controversy surrounding drunken off-field behaviour that has dogged rugby in recent weeks.

Coach Graham Henry today said the mantra of letting players make their own decisions would remain despite the issue reaching a crescendo on Tuesday when reserve halfback Jimmy Cowan was placed on an alcohol ban and delivered a final warning.

Cowan was also fined $3000 by the New Zealand Rugby Union and ordered to seek alcohol counselling after being charged by police for a third time for disorderly behaviour.

Number eight Jerome Kaino has been charged for an alcohol-related driving offence while tabloid newspapers had a field day last month reporting on the alleged drunken antics of four English players at their Auckland hotel.

Henry hoped his players had learned from the plight of their peers and stressed there would be no change to the attitude of All Blacks management.

"It's not about policing young people to do the right thing. It's about them making the right decisions and I think once we become a police-orientated rugby team it's the time to give it away, quite frankly," Henry said.

"I wouldn't want to be involved in that.

"I think it's about people making the right decisions. Sometimes they're not going to.

"Hopefully they learn from that and if they don't, they won't be here."

- NZPA