Kiwis docked competition points

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Thursday, November 2, 2006

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The New Zealand Rugby League team (Kiwis) have been docked two competition points and hooker Nathan Fien barred from playing in the Gilette Rugby League Tri-Nations series.

It comes after allegations of Fien's availability to play for the Kiwi's were exposed by a documentation of his birth certificate.

At a hearing the Rugby League International Federation ruled that Fien was unable to play for the kiwis as he was Australian born. Instead of his grandmother a resident of New Zealand, it was in fact his great-grandmother. According to Rugby League International Federation chairman Colin Love, the Kiwis thought great-grandparents were as good as grandparents.

For a player to play for a different team other than their birth place the rules say that then their parents and/or grandparents have to be born in the other country.

The two points which were docked were the ones that the Kiwis earned when they beat Great Britain last week, it was the same game in which Fien was hooker for the Kiwis team.

The Tri-Nations subcommittee who made the decision didn't want to kick the Kiwis out of the competition.

The penalty incurred has put the Kiwis team into last place with zero points, alongside another team, the Lions. The Kiwis are now not going to be able to qualify for the final on November 25.

The Kiwis last game is against Great Britain on Saturday.

Fien has reportedly left the Kiwis training camp and is reportedly heading back to Townsville.

Sources

• Greg Prichard "Grannygate costs Kiwis dearly". The Sydney Morning Herald, November 2, 2006
• AAP "NZ stripped of points, Fien banned". The Age, November 2, 2006
  

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