An aspiring
All Black continued to drive while disqualified because he said he needed to
get to training to work on his fitness.
Benjamin Tameifuna,
a 21-year-old prop who trained with the All Blacks before the test series
against Ireland earlier this year, was dropped from the Hawke's Bay Magpies
front row during the NPC season because he was thought to be overweight.
On
September 13 he was caught driving the 16 kilometres from his Hastings home to
rugby practice at Park Island in Napier, despite having been suspended last
year for having too many demerit points.
He had also
been caught driving twice before when he should not have been.
Tameifuna pleaded
guilty in Hastings District Court on the 13th November to two
charges of driving while disqualified. He was also caught on October 25,
driving to get his car deregistered.
Judge
Richard Watson said that, although Tameifuna breached a court order, he had not
been caught speeding or driving recklessly.
In yet
another example of one rule for high profile rugby players and the man on the
street.
Judge
Watson sentenced Tameifuna to just 50 hours' community work and disqualified
him from driving for nine months. He told him he hoped he would use his
community work to talk to and inspire young rugby players.
Tipping the
scales at close to 140kgs wow what an inspiration Tameifuna will be.
As part of
his community work they could hold pep-talks at KFC.
The judge
was evidently impressed with a submission from Chiefs assistant coach Tom
Coventry, who had known Tameifuna for some time. He said Coventry had
"wonderful insight" into Tameifuna's background, which was "not
as privileged as some".
Tameifuna
may not have had a privileged up-bringing but he sure the hell now knows the privileges
of being a professional rugby player in New Zealand when it comes to the even-handed
implementation of the law.
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