Cruden joins NZ's hall of shame

Aaron Cruden is the latest to join New Zealand's ever-growing 'Bad Boys' club, a list that already features some of the most famous names in the sport.

The flyhalf's reputation may have suffered and his pocket will also take a hit in the wake of a his boozy departure from the All Black squad at the weekend.

Cruden, who said he is "deeply embarrassed" by his behaviour, did not travel with the team to Buenos Aires at the weekend – after missing the flight.

He was reprimanded by All Black coach Steve Hansen, after it was revealed a boozy night on the town with teammates was the cause of his tardiness.

He joins an infamous list that includes players like Norm Hewitt, Tana Umaga, Xavier Rush, Jeremy Stanley, Mils Muliaina, Doug Howlett, Sam Tuitupou, Ma'a Nonu, Troy Flavell, Carlos Spencer, Andrew Hore, Sione Lauaki, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Sosene Anesi, Ali Williams, Piri Weepu, Jimmy Cowan, Jerome Kaino, Dane Coles, Byron Kelleher, Jerry Collins, Adam Thomson, Jarrad Hoeta and Zac Guildford.

Cruden, who is expected to return to the All Black squad for the year-end tour, issued a statement on Monday in which he apologised for his behaviour.

"On Saturday night, whilst out for an informal dinner in Auckland, I made a poor decision regarding the limits of my alcohol intake," Cruden said in the statement.

"This has resulted in the unacceptable action of me being absent from All Blacks assembly on Sunday morning and thus missing the team flight to Argentina.

"I am deeply embarrassed by this lack of judgement and have never been more disappointed in myself. I have not only let myself down, but most importantly, I have let my team down.

"I carry the burden of shame and disappointment and I am deeply apologetic to my team, to my family, and also the New Zealand public.

"I have no excuses. I have been working really hard over the past few years at gaining respect on the field as well as off the field and am devastated I have dropped my own high personal standards, as well as the standards set by New Zealand Rugby.

"I accept full responsibility for my actions and the penalty of missing the next two games, and I will work with New Zealand Rugby to undertake any other disciplinary action to work through this situation."

The New Zealand Rugby Union is set to investigate the incident and Cruden will presumably face further sanction.

New Zealand Rugby Players' Association boss Rob Nichol said any further sanction would depend on the outcome of the misconduct process.

He said it was important to remember Cruden was entitled to a full and fair hearing which took into account ''the bigger picture''.

''One point I would make is we have a track history when situations happen with our young people as players. The key thing is the bigger picture and recognising the situation, the environment, the age, and the circumstance that they are under,'' he said.

''We have a very strong philosophy that we like people to take responsibility for their actions, to recognise the obligation they have as leading public figures, but we also understand these people are human and they are going to make mistakes.

''I don't think you will find a fundamentally different approach to how they deal with Aaron's situation to how we dealt with players in the past who had similar situations.

''You trust the process and the people involved and I thought the comments from Steve Hansen today were very appropriate.

''Aaron Cruden is a quality man. I'm sure he'll get his head around it and deal with it appropriately.''

New Zealand rugby's hall of shame in the last 15 years (Source: nzrugbybadboys.com):

1999: Tearful All Black hooker Norm Hewitt admits a drinking problem after smashing a window during a weekend drinking binge in Queenstown. No charges filed.

2000: All Black legend Tana Umaga is caught on videotape drunk and abusive during a night out with teammates in Christchurch.

2002: All Black Xavier Rush photographed slumped outside an Auckland service station.

2002: All Black Jeremy Stanley faced drink-driving charges after an early morning crash in Dunedin. Stanley, a doctor, was driving a car borrowed from Otago All Black Simon Maling while Maling was in Auckland with the Highlanders team.

2002: The Auckland Rugby Union suspends Mils Muliaina for two NPC games after he urinates near other patrons in a Parnell bar.

2003: Following the Auckland Blues Super 12 Final victory over the Crusaders, Howlett and then Blues teammate Malili Muliaina were involved in a brawl at Auckland's Spy Bar, started when an intoxicated Howlett threw a glass at one of the bartenders. As a result Muliaina was left with a broken eye socket and dislocated nose.

2004: All Black Sam Tuitupou has a criminal charge of fighting in a public place dropped after cutting a private deal with the police. The charge was withdrawn after he agreed to pay NZ$100 to charity and only became public after police were ordered to disclose details to the Herald.

2004: All Black Ma'a Nonu was charged with disorderly behaviour and resisting arrest after a scuffle outside a bar in Courtenay Place. Police withdrew the resisting charge and granted him diversion for disorderly behaviour.

2004: An All Black receives a discharge without conviction after pleading guilty in December of that year to assaulting his wife. He is granted permanent name suppression.

2004: All Black Troy Flavell pleads guilty to assaulting a man in an Auckland bar.

2005: All Black Norm Maxwell apologises and pays NZ$700 to charity as part of the police diversion scheme after being charged with assaulting a doorman.

2005: A Tauranga businessman alleged he was punched in the face outside Home Bar in Tauranga Carlos Spencer, who was celebrating his stag night. No charges were laid by the Police.

2005: All Black Andrew Hore – with two others – is convicted and fined NZ$2500 for killing a fur seal, a protected species.

2006: Tana Umaga hit Hurricanes teammate All Black Chris Masoe in response to Masoe allegedly attacking a bar patron at The Jolly Poacher (Christchurch) tavern early one Sunday morning.

2006: Sione Lauaki admits a charge of common assault and is granted diversion.

2006: All Black Stephen Bachop was arrested after allegedly verbally abusing passengers and cabin crew while intoxicated on a flight from Auckland to Tahiti.

2007: Ma'a Nonu, receives diversion for a second time for breaching Wellington's liquor ban.

2007: All Black Sitiveni Sivivatu admitted assaulting and trying to drag his pregnant wife along the ground and was discharged without conviction.

2007: Doug Howlett was arrested outside Heathrow Airport's Hilton Hotel on suspicion of criminal damage to two cars following the All Blacks quarterfinal loss to France. He coughed up NZ$26,000 for repairs.   

2007: Chiefs utility back Sosene Anesi became the third player from the Waikato franchise in the past two years to be fined for assault.

2007: Ali Williams was sent home from a Blues tour of South Africa for disciplinary reasons, including late-night drinking.

2008: All Black scrumhalf Piri Weepu was charged with disorderly behaviour after a late-night incident in the capital. The charge was later withdrawn after he agreed to complete diversion.

2008: Jimmy Cowan faced three separate charges of disorderly behaviour in three months.  

2008: All Black Jerome Kaino pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol after being involved in a nose to tail accident.

2008: An All Black was investigated for his role in an assault that left a Dunedin man concussed and with facial injuries. The potential charge could have been the second to arise from an incident that resulted in teammate and Highlanders wing Lucky Mulipola being convicted of assault, sentenced to 180 hours' community work and ordered to pay NZ$5000 emotional harm reparation to the victim. Mulipola was also convicted of driving while disqualified.

2009: All Black Dane Coles admitted abusing Police during a drunken scuffle.

2009: French based All Black Byron Kelleher was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, hitting a car and being involved in a brawl.

2009: French police investigated allegations that former All Blacks rugby player Jerry Collins assaulted a woman. The woman later withdrew the allegations.

2009: All Blacks flank Adam Thomson walked free from Hastings District Court after being cleared of two counts of assault on his girlfriend, TV presenter Joanna Holley. Ms Holley, who was in tears in the stand at the trial said she also doubted the accuracy of police notes taken at the time of the 2008 incident. Ironically it was her that initially laid the complaint.

2009: All Black Sione Lauaki appears in court charged with trashing property at an Auckland motel.

2010: All Black Jarrad Hoeta pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol and dangerous driving.

2010: All Black Doug Howlett was arrested by Irish Police on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly at his Christmas party night out with his Munster teammates.

2010: All Black Sione Lauaki convicted and fined for assault after the Chiefs No.8 had earlier pleaded guilty to assaulting a man in Hamilton’s Coyote Bar.

2010: All Black Sione Lauaki was charged with careless driving after he rolled his car near Huntly.

2010: All Blacks lock Robin Brooke publicly apologised after he groped a teenager while on holiday in Fiji, assaulted her boyfriend.

2011: All Black Stephen Bachop pleads guilty to two assaults involving his partner and a member of the public on the night of the World Cup Final.

2011: All Black Jerry Collins was embroiled in a late-night incident at a Wellington bar.

2011: Sevens star Declan O'Donnell is charged with assaulting two men in a Hamilton pub brawl.

2011: All Black wing Zac Guildford walks into a bar naked and bleeding and assaults two men during an alcohol fuelled rampage in Rarotonga.

2011: All Black Cory Jane was kicked out of the team after an booze bender.

2011: Israel Dagg and Cory Jane decided four days out from an RWC quarterfinal would be a good time to let off some steam with a night out. Dagg admitted sleeping pills were taken in a bid for a legal high.

2012: All Black Keith Robinson admitted hitting a man, and pelting him with bottles. The man was left unconscious and bleeding outside a hotel in Te Aroha as a result of the stoush.

2012: Aaron Smith found himself dropped to the bench by the All Blacks for a 'breach of discipline', staying out too late after the victory over Argentina in Wellington.

2013: All Black hardman Jerry Collins was held by Japanese police for carrying knives into a department store in Hamamatsu, Japan. It has since emerged that he felt he was under threat from a Brazilian gang.

2013: All Black Julian Savea has avoided a conviction on a charge of assaulting his former partner after fulfilling a police demand to complete an anger management course and to publicly apologise to his victim.