Disappointment at Lions dinner attack
The British and Irish Lions are disappointed by an incident where tour manager John Spencer was abused and shoved at an Auckland restaurant on Thursday night.
The tourists are, however, keeping the incident in context.
The Daily Mail reported Spencer was subjected to foul-mouthed abuse and shoved by a drunken Kiwi at Depot.
The elderly New Zealander was reportedly aggressive, directing abusive language at Spencer and proceeding to shove the 69-year-old former England captain.
Spencer pushed the man away and asked to be left alone in response.
Spencer was dining with his wife and a family friend at the time.
Lions assistant coach Rob Howley acknowledged the incident.
‘‘I spoke to John. It’s an isolated incident; a disappointing incident,’’ Howley said.
‘‘Since we’ve been here in New Zealand we’ve had a fantastic welcome. The New Zealand public have been unbelievable in their hospitality wherever we’ve been. Unfortunately in sport there’s always a minority; it’s not the majority.
‘‘The experiences we’ve had over the past few weeks have been unbelievable. The New Zealand public have embraced us. I think they appreciate the rugby we play.
‘‘It was only last night when we went out to the Viaduct as a squad and management. There were a lot of Kiwis coming on to us. Yes, there’s been banter between New Zealand supporters and our supporters and that’s par for the course, but coming back to John it’s the minority not the majority.’’
A Depot duty manager declined to comment on the incident.
‘‘We’re not going to comment on something we know nothing about,’’ she said.
Police contacted Spencer to discuss the incident but would take no action.
‘‘The information provided to police so far indicates this was an isolated incident involving a single intoxicated patron, which was dealt with at the time with the assistance of restaurant staff,’’ Superintendent Sandra Manderson said in a statement.
‘‘While in this instance we can confirm that no complaint has been made, we reinforce that there is absolutely no place for this kind of loutish behaviour, which we take seriously and will deal with as appropriate, based on the information available to us at the time.
‘‘Despite the incident, Mr Spencer has spoken of the very warm and hospitable welcome he and the touring group have continued to receive so far from the rest of New Zealand.’’
Above the bar at Depot there is a large painting of former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry, who staff said had donated it to the eatery.
Spencer, who spoke well at the unveiling of the Sir Colin Meads statue in Te Kuiti on Monday, is not the first member of the Lions tour party to visit the restaurant.
Spencer toured New Zealand with the 1971 Lions team, their only side to have beaten the All Blacks in a test series.
A solicitor with a private practice in North Yorkshire, he has been England’s representative on the Lions board for the past nine years.