Pool-cue violence awarning to rugby
A sport researcher says rugby leaders need to ‘‘shift the culture’’ to prevent violent incidents like the one where a pool cue was inserted into a man’s buttocks ‘‘for a laugh’’.
The incident occurred at the Rosebank Lodge Hotel, in the South Otago town of Balclutha, on a weekend night in June.
Benjamin (Ben) Roger Keach, 40, pleaded guilty in the Dunedin District Court yesterday to injuring with reckless disregard, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail.
The pub, known as the Rosie, was hosting a Wild West-themed night, when performer Denis Henderson started playing The Gambler by the late Kenny Rogers.
The victim was on the dance floor with rugby team-mates, who had a tradition off pulling their pants down and dancing when that song came on.
The victim left the dance floor and went to a nearby table of friends, but he and others were still naked from the waist down, the police summary of facts said.
Keach, who is a former Clutha club rugby coach, took a pool cue, came up behind the victim and stabbed it at his buttocks. The cue penetrated the man, causing an 8-centimetre gash and immediate pain.
Monash School of Social Sciences sport inclusion researcher Erik Denison said rugby leaders needed to ‘‘shift the culture and change the behaviours which remain normal’’.
While it was rare for incidents to result in injuries like the one in Balclutha, such behaviour was not uncommon in hyper-masculine
sports such as rugby.
Recent research into the declining number of people playing the sport found a majority – 60 per cent – of young men wanted an end to homophobic comments and connected attitudes.
The sports that stopped such behaviour would be the ones to thrive, Denison said.
After the Balclutha incident, police took the victim to Dunedin Hospital. He had surgery the next day and needed two weeks off work.
Investigators later interviewed Keach, who told them he did not intend to hurt the victim and did it as a ‘‘bit of a laugh’’.
He’d had five to seven beers at a rugby club before going to the bar, and claimed he gave the victim a ‘‘poke’’ with the pointy end of the pool cue.
However, the court heard the assault involved significant force with a blunt instrument.
Keach – who was originally charged with sexual violation – was granted bail and will be back in court in December.
It is understood Keach has been banned from licensing trust venues for 12 months.