Star Highlanders stood down

If you were running a pool on how long it would take for a Highlanders disciplinary issue to rear its head and you had round four – congratulations.

The embattled Dunedin-based Super 14 franchise is again in the headlines, with star players Michael Hobbs and Adam Thomson stood down from Sunday's game against the Bulls in Pretoria.

The pair have been punished after breaking a team curfew following last week's 33-nil loss to the Stormers in Cape Town.

Highlanders coach Glenn Moore said in a statement that the players had not made it back to the hotel on time. No other incidents have been reported.

"Each week you have to earn the right to play for this team," Moore said.

"This slip-up, albeit out of character for these two guys, means they don't get the opportunity to play this week."

Hobbs and Thomson will remain with the team as they prepare to take on the Super 14 defending champions. They have been two of the best for the Highlanders this season, with Hobbs scoring four tries in the first three games and All Black flanker Thomson making a good fist of filling in at No 8.

Highlanders chief executive Richard Reid could not confirm what time the team's curfew had been set at.

He believed the team had been warned about the rules, including a talk from a senior player before the team headed out on the town following the Stormers loss.

"You can't hold these guys' hands," he said.

The Highlanders have been troubled by alcohol-related incidents in the past three seasons, with Thomson, Lucky Mulipola, Fetu'u Vainikolo and Jimmy Cowan all bringing unwanted attention upon the franchise.

Reid said disciplinary issues were not restricted to the Highlanders, but that didn't make them any less disappointing.

The nature of the Hobbs-and- Thomson misdemeanour meant that it was handled by the team and would not be a matter for the chief executive, he said.

The standing down of Hobbs and Thomson comes after the Highlanders had already lost Cowan, who returned home after badly dislocating a finger against the Stormers.

Sunday's game kicks off at 4.05am (NZ time).

- © Fairfax NZ News

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