England players boss won't condemn conduct

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OLD HAND: England players association boss Damian Hopley pictured during his active days for England at the 1995 World Cup.

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English rugby players' association boss Damian Hopley has refused to condemn the conduct of the England team during their controversial tour of New Zealand.

England were thumped 37-20 in the opening test yet a section of the squad later embarked on a drinking session at a nightclub that concluded with women returning to the team hotel.

Four players, who have been named in The Sun newspaper, were the subject of a serious sexual assault allegation from one of the women although no charge has been made by New Zealand police and the quartet deny any wrong-doing.

"It's not for me to judge what players do. They're under the jurisdiction of the Rugby Football Union (RFU)," Hopley told the British Press Association.

"They're professional sportsmen at the end of a long season. I'm not going to condemn or condone the players for what they get up to.

"The players have my full support. That's my position and the position of the Professional Rugby Players' Association."

RFU chief executive Francis Baron admitted the reputation of English rugby had been damaged by the reports emerging from Auckland.

A new code of conduct is being drawn up, in conjunction with the PRA, which is likely to include a ban on taking women back to the team hotel.

Hopley accepted rugby's growing profile means players are now "fair game" for media scrutiny.

"What this tour has done is make players aware, if they weren't already, that they're fair game," he said.

"We've seen it in our footballing colleagues and in other sports. It was inevitable this would happen with rugby.

"Rugby has been very lucky as a sport in terms of the coverage it gets, but there is a definite sea change.

"This has been a very steep learning curve, one that we would have like to have taken on our own terms, not on other terms."

Further support for a team who were mired in controversy during the second week of the tour came from former England prop Jeff Probyn, who insisted players need the "release" of downtime away from the game.

Probyn said it was acceptable for players to relax after test matches by visiting nightspots.

"As long as players are on the training park when they need to be and can perform, surely it's better to get the loss out of their system than to sit stewing in a hotel room?" Probyn said.

"It happened during (former coach) Sir Clive Woodward's era -- after games Clive used to take the boys to the nightclub himself in a coach.

"(New coach) Martin Johnson used to go out on the town just like everyone else. Will he suddenly turn into a headmaster overnight?

"Lawrence Dallaglio and Will Carling almost ruined their careers and look at what they became -- stalwarts of the game."

- NZPA