Savea slams media over partying Highlanders saga

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Hurricanes captain Ardie Savea has criticised two journalists for their reportage of an alcohol-related incident involving fellow All Black Josh Ioane and his Highlanders teammates.

Ioane was stood down by the Highlanders, alongside five other players – Daniel Lienert-Brown, Marino Mikaele-Tu’u, Teariki Ben-Nicholas, Patelesio Tomkinson and Sione Misiloi – after police were called to a party at the house on Lochend Street, Musselburgh on Friday night, following their loss to the Hurricanes.

‘There’s six guys who are unavailable through letting the team down around their standards; broke the code that we live by and it’s all around their professional habits. They just let the team down, the leaders and the whole organisation, so they won’t be available for selection,’ Highlanders coach Tony Brown told media following his team announcement on Wednesday.

A subsequent investigative report published by reputable publication Stuff, revealed that the party was at Ioane’s residence and that noise control officers eventually being called to the scene. The report also quoted several of Ioane’s aggrieved neighbours, with many voicing their concern at the number of parties the 25-year-old has hosted over the past 12 months.

But Savea has taken exception to the media’s coverage of the incident. In a four-tweet thread, Savea accused journalists of trying to victimise Ioane and make him look like a criminal.

Photo: Dianne Manson/Getty Images

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SA Rugby magazine