Mass fight boils over after final whistle

A brawl involving about 20 people erupted after a premier club rugby game in West Auckland yesterday.

Police were called to the fight at Shadbolt Park in New Lynn about 4.30pm.

Several people were reportedly left bloodied in the altercation after the match between Pakuranga and Suburbs premier.

A police spokeswoman said shortly after police arrived, the fight had been broken up and everyone had dispersed.

“St John were alerted but we don’t know if there were any injuries or the extent of those possible injuries.”

Auckland Rugby’s referee manager Cody Neilson confirmed one of his referees reported an incident occurred at Shadbolt Park well after the final whistle had been called.

Last year, officials investigated an all-in brawl between Auckland high school students at a weekend rugby match that left school officials feeling “let down”.

The brawl between Tāmaki College First XV and Mangere College First XV players ignited after the two teams finished the game at Tāmaki College and led to police being called out.

Auckland Rugby said at the time it was “committed to providing a safe and enjoyable experience for all of our rugby whānau”.