3.30pm
SYDNEY - Australian fullback Mat Rogers was today fined and ordered to perform rugby development duties for breaching the New South Wales Rugby Union's (NSWRU) media protocol.
A three-man committee headed by NSW Waratahs' team manager Dave Gibson also included NSWRU chief executive officer Fraser Neill and Waratahs' captain Chris Whitaker,
handed out a fine, and also a suspended fine to be activated if Rogers committed a similar offence.
NSWRU officials wouldn't disclose the exact amount of either fine but said both involved "thousands" of dollars.
Rogers was fined for breaching the NSWRU protocol by denigrating Sydney club rugby in his Sunday newspaper column.
In the column, Rogers had said "club rugby in its present state is a waste of time" and declared there were not enough quality players to sustain the competition in its current form.
Rogers accepted the fines but insisted his intentions had been good.
"I'm accepting the responsibility of what I wrote broke the protocols of NSW Rugby Union, I accept the punishment," Rogers said after emerging from the hearing at NSW Rugby Union headquarters.
"It was never my intention to harm club rugby, I just really want club rugby to be better to be honest.
"I just want it to rival what the rugby league has got and I know that it can and I look forward to seeing that happen in the future."
Rogers didn't want to answer questions from the assembled media, but, asked if he had any regrets, he answered "No".
Neill said the disciplinary committee had made Rogers fully aware of the effect his controversial comments had.
"We had a pretty full and frank discussion about it," said Neill, who stressed the NSWRU wasn't trying to muzzle its players.
He said the work Rogers would have to do would see the Waratahs star helping develop the lower levels of rugby.
- AAP
