- Rugby stars have been accused of sniffing white powder from a famous trophy
- Hawke’s Bay players celebrated their big final victory this weekend
- They broke the famous Ranfurly Shield as a controversial photo emerged
Rugby stars in New Zealand have been accused of sniffing white powder from a famous trophy that was broken during a wild finals celebration.
NZ Rugby took the Ranfurly Shield from Hawke’s Bay rugby club following their win over Wellington last weekend, after the trophy was split in half in the middle of the team celebration.
An image of the broken shield with white powder and a rolled up banknote on it – indicating drug use – also went viral on social media, prompting NZ Rugby to investigate.
A player was also charged with driving with an excessive breath alcohol level after a car crash into a fence.
All Black Brad Weber and coach Brock James faced the media on Wednesday and said they were ‘distraught’ and ‘gutted’ that the shield had been broken, before addressing the white substance charge.
A rugby team is in trouble after smashing a famous trophy, while a photo of a white substance on the shield has emerged
The Hawke’s Bay rugby team celebrated their grand final this weekend
“We are sorry that this has happened,” said Weber, who was not present when the shield was damaged but relied on his teammates’ version of events, via Stuff.
It has been reported that the shield was damaged during a party at a player’s flat attended by about a dozen people, including teammates and non-team members.
“Neither of us (James or Weber) were there, so we can’t really say who was there,” Weber said.
“We’re a playing group, mate, we’re devastated. It absolutely hurts us that this happened, that accidents happen, that it is broken.
‘Especially for our community. We want to put it back on the market and let them enjoy it.”
When asked about the white powder, neither player nor coach would comment on the matter.
“I wasn’t there, so I’m not going to speculate on what that was,” Weber said. ‘It is clear that a NZ Rugby investigation is about to commence and we will fully co-operate with it.
‘We are committed to that as a team.’
In a statement, NZ Rugby chief executive Steve Lancaster said: ‘New Zealand Rugby is aware of significant damage to the Ranfurly Shield and we are deeply disappointed.
‘We are also aware of the images circulating on social media and in response NZR has launched an investigation to understand what happened.
“The shield has undergone a huge amount of restoration work over the last twelve months to ensure it remains a focal point and source of pride for the rugby community.
‘NZR will now take possession of the shield, begin the repair process and reassess existing protocols to care for it.
“It is our intention that the Ranfurly Shield remains part of the community, that it is enjoyed by those who own it and that it is maintained as a taonga of our game.”
However, James Dwan, who has cared for the Ranfurly Shield for the past eight years, has claimed that the white powder most likely comes from plaster he added a few years ago to hold the center piece together.
But the famous Ranfurly Shield was broken in the midst of the chaos
“I was thinking about that a bit, and suddenly I thought, ‘I know what that is,'” he told NZ Herald.
“On the inside, the center piece, the actual little oval emblem in the middle, I put plaster over that a few years ago to strengthen it and I have a funny feeling there’s still a bit of that powder there.
‘That must be it. If you had hit it, the Shield, it would have loosened some of that powder.”