New Zealand
11-year-old faces lifetime ban
ESPN Staff
June 15, 2015

An 11-year-old New Zealand rugby player faces a lifetime ban from rugby after he allegedly attacked a referee during an under-12 game. The fate of the Papatoetoe Rugby Football Club (PRFC) player will be determined at a disciplinary hearing this week.

It is alleged the player attacked the referee after he was given a yellow card for a high tackle during the game on Saturday. It was reported the player tackled the referee to the ground and punched him. The game was abandoned after the incident.

PRFC chairman Rick Steedman said there had been a number of offences leading up to the card, but the alleged attack was a "one-off" incident. "He just lost his cool…" Steedman told Fairfax Media. "That stuff shouldn't be happening."

Auckland Rugby Referees Association referee manager Smudge McNeilage said the referee was not physically injured, but was "certainly affected". "He has been rested at home, he has certainly been affected by the event," he told the New Zealand Herald.

A hearing overseen by the Auckland Rugby Union was scheduled to take place on Tuesday, but may be pushed back because of a separate process being taken by the PRFC. Steedman stated on Saturday the player would possibly miss the rest of the season.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd

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