Players punch mum for cheering son’s try

A player’s mother was allegedly assaulted as punches were thrown on and off the field at a heated club rugby final in Auckland at the weekend.

After an earlier ‘‘scuffle’’ between players during the match, two players from the losing Otahuhu Rugby Club reportedly jumped a fence and began punching and kicking a mother who was celebrating her son scoring a try, a club official said.

She was the mother of a player in the opposing Suburbs Rugby Club, which won the Auckland Rugby Union premier development final 38-18, at Shadbolt Park in West Auckland on Saturday.

Stefan Cooks, chairman of the Suburbs Rugby Club, was not there at the time but said he was reliably informed that ‘‘all hell broke lose’’ after the two players began the assault.

However, the Otahuhu president, also not at the game, said he had heard a different version of events.

Regardless, he promised to get to the bottom of it and take appropriate action.

‘‘The game was heading towards the end and it was fairly intense ... our boys scored a try and a mother on the sideline was cheering her son who scored the try and then two players apparently jumped the fence and assaulted her,’’ Cooks said.

‘‘And one other apparently, who didn’t jump the fence, was throwing them flags and things to attack the woman with,’’ Cooks said.

‘‘They also assaulted another woman who was trying to help her.’’

The assault was eventually broken up when Suburbs players intervened and pulled the Otahuhu players back, Cooks said.

He said the attack was senseless and unnecessary.

‘‘It was a hell of a shock to find our women supporters were being attacked by opposition players.

‘‘It’s not our standards, it’s not what we believe in, and we do not tolerate it.’’

Police were called to investigate and the Suburbs Rugby Club said it would be filing an official match complaint to the Auckland Rugby Union about the incident.

There weren’t any major injuries and an ambulance was not needed, Cooks said.

Otahuhu president John Roache said the club would get to the bottom of the matter at a board meeting last night.

He said the players involved were to be in attendance.

‘‘We’re going to sort things out. I’ve heard a little bit about what happened but also I’ve heard that what’s in the paper is not true.

‘‘The police were there and noone was formally charged for what happened. What I heard was that everything was sorted out and left on the field – but that’s all I know for now.’’

Roache said if the board found reports of the alleged assault true, then the club would penalise the boys appropriately.

‘‘We will deal with our players. If we find them guilty we’ll have to sort them out and discipline them before it goes to Auckland Rugby Union.’’

Yesterday, the Auckland union had not received any official complaints from the match but were expecting one.