02 November 2006
BREAKING NEWS - 5.55pm
The Kiwis have been stripped of their two Tri-Nations competition points and their hooker, Nathan Fien, banned for the rest of tournament by the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF).
The RLIF executive committee today ruled Australian-born Fien was ineligible and the New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) breached international rules by playing him against the Kangaroos and Great Britain last month.
Fien has already left the Kiwis camp and was reportedly heading to Queensland today.
After a six-hour process that began this morning with a RLIF telephone hookup between Australia's Colin Love (chairman), the NZRL's Selwyn Bennett, Great Britain's Richard Lewis and National Rugby League chief executive David Gallop, Love announced the Kiwis had been stripped of the two points from their 18-14 win over Great Britain last Saturday.
It means they are back to zero, but their two points haven't gone to Great Britain who are also yet to open their account.
The for and against points from last Saturday's match has also been expunged for both teams.
The Kiwis can still defend their title in the November 25 final if they beat Great Britain in Wellington on November 11 and Great Britain lose both their matches against the Kangaroos.
The saga began this week when Bennett, the NZRL chairman, revealed the birth certificate Fien produced to confirm his eligibility was for his Wanganui-born great-grandmother, not grandmother as Bennett previously stated.
The rules state a player can claim eligibility through his parents or "any of his grandparents".
The NZRL's defence, prepared by their lawyer, centred around what they felt was ambiguous wording of the grandparents rule, and the fact there was no punishment outlines for a rule breach.
Love said it was clear the NZRL knew that Fien was ineligible on October 19, but included him in the Kiwis team.