Marist St Pats statement on Sevens Court Case

7 December 2022

Marist St Pats rugby club deeply regrets the incident that occurred at the sevens match in November 2020 and its impact on the Studd family and the wider club rugby community. We wholeheartedly apologise to Ridge Studd and his family for the injury and hurt caused.

The original Stuff article on the incident (7 December 2021) contained several inaccuracies. It wrongly reported the charge, which has been downgraded to ‘injuring with reckless regard’. It also implied a jail sentence is under consideration when in fact the judge has confirmed he is looking at a package of community service, anger management courses and a restorative justice process.

Marist St Pats does not and has never condoned violence of any sort on or off the rugby field or under any circumstances. We are supporting Iosefo Aukusitino as he takes responsibility for his actions.

This incident prompted the club to look at how we are operating and how we are upholding our standards and values. We have put in place a number of measures to ensure these events do not occur again;

  • Implementing and asking players and supporters to sign up to a code of conduct.
  • Utilising the expertise and advice of NZRU’s cultural and wellbeing programmes.
  • Reorganising our rugby operations to ensure we focus more on our players’ wellbeing, values and culture.
  • Ensuring ongoing reinforcement of the club’s rules to coaches, managers, players and supporters which are stated in our constitution as "The promotion and fostering of a spirit of union, good fellowship and racial, cultural and gender inclusivity among members."

Marist St Pats is a vibrant, volunteer and multicultural sports club. Many different communities take pride in our club and we are committed to ensuring that it remains a welcoming and positive place for all ethnicities, genders and ages.

Rob Evans

Chairman, Marist St Pats RFC


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