Headache for head-butting coach
A New Zealand man has stood down indefinitely after head-butting a stand-in referee, during an Under-7's game on Saturday.
Coach Bryce Reynolds assaulted Ronan Hallahan after there was a dispute between the two during the game. Both men had sons, playing on the same team – Reynolds had asked Hallahan to step in to referee, prior to the Helensville vs Kumeu Rippa Rugby match.
"We had a difference of views about the way I was refereeing and the way he was coaching.
"Reynolds was right in my face and I was telling him to go away, when 'bang' – he suddenly just nutted me," Hallahan said.
"To do something like that in front of his son and mine was despicable and cowardly. I just asked him 'what the hell did you do that for?"
Hallahan said he was stunned by the attack, and didn't react because he didn't want the kids to see any more violence.
Boys as young as six, were escorted away from the field immediately after the incident.
As a result, the club had a disciplinary meeting the next day – Reynolds was stripped from his coaching duties and banned from attending matches in the future.
Source: APNZ
