Kiwis apologise for pitch invasion
Organisers of the New Zealand leg of the IRB Sevens World Series have apologised in person to Samoan team management, following an disgraceful incident when a naked pitch invader tackled a Samoan player in Wellington on Friday.
NZ Sevens General Manager Steve Walters said the take this “breach of security” extremely seriously.
“It is not acceptable to put players in that position,” Walters said.
“We regret the incident and are disappointed that one person’s actions detracted from an otherwise good first day.
“The offender has been charged with assault.
“Wellington has built a reputation for hosting international sporting events and this mindless act jeopardises the tournament’s world class standing.”
The organisers and security have reviewed their field management and will boost their on-field presence with an extra 20 security staff for day two, on Saturday.
Walters continued:”We are committed to doing everything possible to prevent any further breaches of player safety.”
Police were otherwise happy with crowd behaviour at Westpac Stadium.
They only arrested eight and evicted 28 from the venue.
The pitch invader was removed from the stadium and he has already been issued with a trespass notice banning him from the Stadium for two years.
Streaker tackles Samoan player!
