Court gives Cowan a break ahead of AB hearing

Invercargill District Court granted All Black Jimmy Cowan a day's grace to allow him to attend a New Zealand Rugby Union misconduct hearing in Wellington today.

Cowan not in AB line-up

Cowan, 26, was arrested on Sunday morning after a confrontation with bouncers at an Invercargill bar. It was his second arrest within seven weeks which resulted from his drinking.

Cowan had been due in court this morning to face a charge of disorderly conduct,  but will now appear tomorrow afternoon.

He entered the NZRU building at about 1.30pm for his disciplinary hearing and has not been included in the team to face South Africa at the weekend.

All Blacks manager Darren Shand said yesterday the NZRFU would ordinarily wait until after a player had been dealt with by the courts before deciding their fate.

"Given this is Jimmy's second incident in a very short space of time we want to  act now and resolve it.''

Cowan was still on remand for an earlier disorderly conduct charge after an incident in Dunedin on May 10.
 

In Invercargill this morning Cowan was granted a registrar's remand until tomorrow.

Sacking urged

The  New Zealand Rugby Union has been urged to sack shamed All Blacks halfback Jimmy Cowan at a misconduct hearing today, after it was revealed that Cowan failed to take up an offer to deal with his drinking troubles.

The 10-test halfback was feeling "pretty sorry for himself" yesterday after his arrest for disorderly behaviour, following a late-night drinking session in Invercargill at the weekend.

The hastily convened misconduct hearing will take place at 1.30pm today and will be conducted by team manager Darren Shand and NZRU professional services manager Neil Sorenson. Cowan will attend with his agent.

Under the NZRU's collective employment agreement, penalties for misconduct range from a formal warning to dismissal.

Shand said normal practice was to wait for a player to be dealt with by the courts, but Cowan's repeated poor behaviour meant the management felt compelled to act.

"There's clearly a pattern of behaviour here. He does not make good decisions when drinking."

Cowan's behaviour was indicative of someone with a drinking problem, Shand said.

Former All Blacks wing Stu Wilson said Cowan should be looking for a new job after a third allegation of a booze-fuelled indiscretion.

"I would endorse the NZRU if they sacked him - they have to sack him. An employee has played up yet again and has broken some rules. If they don't sack him, they have no balls. It's the same if it was Dan Carter or Richie McCaw.

"If it was the first time he had stuffed up, then I might say he's a lad, he's single and was out there having few beers and overstepped the mark, and give him a warning ... but he's had a lot of warnings. He has to go."

Rugby Southland chief executive Roger Clark admitted he was annoyed with the latest charge and Cowan had to take responsibility for his actions.

"There's support, and every opportunity for assistance if someone has a drinking problem - and it's been offered [in Cowan's case] - but it comes back to somebody wanting to take up the offer.

"He was feeling pretty sorry for himself when I was talking to him, but he has to take some personal responsibility because it's frustrating that this keeps happening."

Marie Jenkins, manager of Invercargill bar One Blue Dog, said Cowan took exception to being refused entry in the early hours of Sunday morning. He also copped flak from people congregated in the street.

"He was receiving verbal abuse and was having things thrown at him." ." He weathered the abuse, but was in a "quite dishevelled state", with his top on back to front.

Bouncers refused to let him in because he was "grossly intoxicated".

"He had words with the doorman ... He turned around and made threats to the head of security ... He was restrained and police were called and he was taken away."

- with NZPA