Former All Black guilty of assault

FORMER All Blacks loose forward Sione Lauaki has pleaded guilty to assault in a Hamilton court and been remanded on bail.
By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Mar 2010, 22:13 BST

The 28-year-old Lauaki, who played 17 Tests for the All Blacks from 2005-2008, was expected to reappear in court on 6 May and would still be available for selection for the Waikato Chiefs in rugby union’s Super 14, the team said in a statement.

“As advised earlier, the NZRU and Chiefs (have) stated that an internal disciplinary process will take place once the court process has been completed,” Chiefs chief executive Gary Dawson said. “Sione is available for selection in the Chiefs team while we await the process.”

Lauaki’s guilty plea related to an incident at a bar in Hamilton, Waikato on 5 March, New Zealand’s national news agency NZPA reported. The Chiefs are away to ACT Brumbies on Friday.