A secondary school rugby coach has broken his silence on a controversial on-field clash with a match official, claiming he has been made a scapegoat after allegedly being punched in the face.
The June 21 match between Mana College and Kāpiti College descended into chaos after Kāpiti scored three latetries, including two beyond the 70-minute mark – the regulation length of a college rugby game – to snatch a 25-22 win.
Witnesses told the Herald that abuse of the referee, particularly from Mana College supporters, was constant throughout the match and intensified after fulltime. The situation escalated to the point where the referee had to be escorted to his car for safety.
The following week the Horowhenua-Kāpiti Rugby Football Union suspended matches for all grades as a stand against referee abuse.
Mana College First XV coach Darren Paewai now faces a judicial hearing on July 30 for allegedly intimidating the referee, which he denies, claiming he was struck by the official.
However, these allegations won’t be discussed during the hearing, Paewai claiming he won’t be allowed to speak or produce evidence.
Despite being advised by the school not to comment publicly, Paewai said he feels compelled to speak out, citing the toll the incident has taken on himself and his players.
In an interview with the Herald, Paewai categorically denied the intimidation allegations and said he was assaulted after the final whistle.
“I went to shake the referee’s hand and thank him for the game, but he pulled his hand back and told me to ‘F up’,” said Paewai.
“I was like, ‘What?’ Then he just balled his fist and struck me. I pulled back a bit and he caught my chin.
“I was shocked. I said, ‘Why did you punch me?’
“Then people from the Kāpiti supporters came at me and I was like, ‘What are you going on about? He hit me’.”
Paewai claims there is video footage showing the referee striking him. He said the video also shows members of the Mana coaching staff escorting the referee to his car, not Kāpiti College affiliates, as previously claimed.
He believes the process has been unfair, with the Horowhenua-Kāpiti Rugby Union treating the post-match altercation and the alleged referee assault as two unrelated incidents, even though he views them as connected.
Mana College first XV coach Darren Paewai.
Horowhenua-Kāpiti Rugby Union chief executive Corey Kennett said the union is unable to comment while the matter is still under investigation.
The union had previously threatened similar action after an earlier case where a person allegedly threatened to stab a referee. Mana College’s next fixture was also postponed.
Paewai described the past month as “stressful”, saying his players have been unfairly painted as the aggressors.
“Unfortunately, the boys and their families are pretty taken aback that we’re being made out to be the perpetrators and crucified by the public,” he said.
“All they want to do is play rugby. They left it on the field and were ready to move on to the next game. But here we are, stuck in judicial proceedings and facing serious accusations.”
Paewai said he has filed a complaint with police.
Police confirmed the matter is in the assessment stage and would not comment further.
Paewai said the situation has been particularly challenging given that, in his first year as head coach, he has made discipline and respect core values for his team.
“Horowhenua’s had its problems with referee abuse and this is just the icing on the cake,” said Paewai.
“But it’s flipped, this time it’s the ref who reacted and I feel like I’m being used as a scapegoat in all of this.
“As coaches, we had to attend a course in Wellington where we were taught the rules to upskill ourselves. And I’m left wondering – is that same upskilling happening with the referees?”
Kāpiti College and Mana College were approached for comment but did not respond.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.
