Kiwis put bad boy Sivivatu on notice

All Black and Chiefs flyer Sitiveni Sivivatu has been “placed on notice” by the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU), after they found him guilty of serious misconduct.

The winger, who last month pleaded guilty to assault against his wife and was discharged without conviction in the Hamilton District Court, faced a review of his conduct by his employer, the NZRU, under the terms of his contract and the Collective Employment Agreement.

Following a hearing held earlier this week, Sivivatu received a formal warning and agreed to on-going counselling.

“Siti [Sivivatu] has faced the courts, and as a result of that verdict was subject to intense public scrutiny. In the context of our misconduct process, it was important to ensure that any additional punishment from the NZRU was commensurate with the offence,” NZRU deputy CEO Steve Tew said in a statement.

“The formal warning puts him on notice that we take the matter very seriously while the requirement for counselling is to help Siti work to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.”

Tew said the NZRU, along with the Super 14 franchises and New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association, put significant emphasis on developing players to manage the pressures inherent in being a professional rugby player and a public figure.

“Clearly, we are very concerned when incidents such as these occur which is why we have processes in place to deal with them. At the same time, our major concern is that our employees and their families – in this case Sitiveni and his wife – have access to the support and help they need to deal with these issues.”

Sivivatu, accompanied by his representative from Inside Running, reiterated his earlier public apology in the hearing conducted by NZRU Professional Rugby Manager Neil Sorensen and All Blacks Manager Darren Shand.

“My wife and I are pleased with this result and we will move forward together from now on. I look forward to concentrating on my rugby in the weeks ahead,” Sivivatu said.