St Kentigern get clearance to play

An independent judicial panel looking into the St Kentigern College rugby player recruitment controversy has had a dollar each way in its findings – criticising the private Auckland school for ‘‘sustained’’ poaching but also upholding its complaint that a proposed boycott of its games was unauthorised.

The Auckland school has been cleared to take part in this year’s first XV competition but will be required to stand-down ‘‘new-toschool’’ players from outside of Auckland for the first six games of the season. It subsequently agreed to stand down ‘‘the two most directly affected players’’ for any semifinal or final that might eventuate.

The panel, appointed by College Sport Auckland, announced it had upheld the complaint by the St Kentigern Trust Board about a proposed new Code of Conduct for the 2019 Auckland secondary schools first XV 1A rugby competition.

The code had been driven by 10 participating schools, and was aimed at preventing what they deemed excessive recruitment. It used the threat of defaulting games against St Kentigern, unless the school agreed to new rules restricting its tactical practices around bringing in new players.

The panel, comprising Wellington barrister Tim Castle, former Auckland college principal Gail Thomson and former All Black Ian Jones, found that the proposed new code was unauthorised and in breach of CSA Rules and bylaws.

It sought to require that all ‘‘new-to-school’’ Auckland secondary student rugby players who have transferred from an NZR first XV-sanctioned competition stand down for the first six 1A competition games, plus any potential semifinal or final matches.

The target of the new code was St Kent’s, who had intended to field up to three players recruited from leading first XVs outside of Auckland.

The panel was concerned that the ultimatum by 10 out of 11 principals of the 1A schools would effectively punish the entire St Kent’s first XV, which was not in the best interests of the students. It decided to uphold the St Kentigern Trust Board complaint and also deemed the school broke no current CSA rules.

However, the panel criticised St Kent’s for undertaking a ‘‘sustained’’ period of ‘‘annual’’ strengthening of its first XV rugby side. This included providing scholarships for players to move from competing schools.

The school has strenuously denied targeted recruiting.

But the panel deemed St Kent’s had not ‘‘adequately recognised and responded’’ to a changed mood in recent years where concern about practices being adopted had been openly expressed by schools and the Auckland Secondary School Rugby Union.