All Black and Highlanders star Shannon Frizell has been offered diversion after he allegedly violently assaulted a woman outside a Dunedin nightclub.
The 27-year-old appeared in the Dunedin District Court on Tuesday facing two charges of male assaults female and one of common assault.
He was offered diversion after his lawyer pointed out he was a first-time offender.
In a statement outside court, Frizell apologised to the two people involved in the May incident at Vault 21 bar.
"I would like to take this opportunity to say how very sorry I am for my behaviour during an incident in May this year," he said.
"I am especially sorry to the two people involved and the harm I caused."
He says he has put a plan in place with counsellors to work on self-improvement.
"I will now do everything I can to restore people's faith in me."
Frizell was stood down from the Highlanders after the incident, with chief executive Roger Clark saying it was not a punishment, but a measure to avoid "distraction".
