Hansen criticised for domestic violence comments

All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen has been criticised for trying to justify selection in his Rugby Championship squad of a player who was charged with domestic violence.

Crusaders winger Sevu Reece was charged with “male assaults female”, the New Zealand legal term that covers any attack by a man on a woman but is often used to cover spousal abuse, after injuring his partner in a drunken assault last year.

Reece was not convicted because the judge who heard his case considered there were mitigating circumstances and a conviction would have a detrimental effect on his professional career.

The then 21-year-old had signed a contract with Irish club Connacht but the club rescinded the contract because of Reece’s court appearance. He was also let go by his Waikato province in New Zealand but later joined the Crusaders and became the leading try-scorer in Super Rugby this season with 15.

That led to his call-up to the All Blacks squad for the Rugby Championship, but the selection has been opposed by campaigners against domestic violence and others.

In a radio interview on Saturday, Controversy: Steve Hansen said the domestic violence issue was ‘not a gender thing’ Hansen attempted to explain the selection but his comments have inflamed opponents.

“[Domestic violence is] a big part of our society, unfortunately,” Hansen told Radio Sport. “So rugby is going to have people within its community that are involved in this. And having been a policeman, I’ve seen plenty of it. And I know it’s not just restricted to males assaulting women, women assault males too. It’s not a gender thing, it’s a New Zealand problem.”

Hansen’s claim that female assaults on males are commonplace is not supported by statistics.

He suggested the Crusaders and All Blacks were well placed to provide the “rehabilitation” Reece needed to overcome anger and violence.

“He’s come into an environment in the Crusaders where they’ve put a lot of things around him that have helped educate him,” Hansen said. “He’s been actively trying to better himself and also when he comes into our environment we already have a policy that better people make better All Blacks, so we continue that with each and every individual we’ve got.”

Columnist Alison Mau attacked Hansen’s “fervent but flawed and misguided evaluation of domestic violence”.

“Men do report violence from female partners, but it tends to be far less severe than women experience, and men do not generally live in perpetual fear for their lives as a consequence,” Mau said.