Former All Blacks halfback Brad Weber admits his Hawke's Bay Magpies must now win back the respect of their community, after virtually destroying one of NZ rugby's most iconic symbols - the Ranfurly Shield.
The Bay snatched the famous 'Log O' Wood' from Wellington on Saturday, ending the Lions' 19-game winning streak that dated back to last winter, but their achievement was tarnished, as social media footage emerged of damage to the trophy during celebrations.
Some of those images feature unidentified white powder that has sparked accusations of drug use during the incident.
Weber, 32, was part of the team that lifted the Shield, but claims he was not present when it was reportedly dropped onto a concrete floor, splitting it in two.
"The boys are all very consistent and I fully trust them," he said. "They're my family and I fully trust what they're saying.
"I'm not going to speculate on what that [the powder] was. Obviously, there's a NZ Rugby investigation about to get underway and we're going to be fully cooperative with all of that.
"We've got a game on Sunday that we have to put most of our focus into and getting a performance out there that we can be proud of."
The Magpies have booked a National Provincial Championship quarter-final against archrivals Bay of Plenty, but coach Brock James says no players have been stood down for their involvement in the incident.
James says NZ Rugby has a random drug-testing programme throughout the season and the team would fully cooperate with any further testing required.
Asked if he would surprised about possible drug use, Weber responded: "I'm not allowed to add speculation to that... I can't comment.
"We want to send a message that we want to win the respect back of people we've hurt through this accident and breaking the Shield. It absolutely adds to the motivation, and it's nice to have training and the game as distraction from this."
The Ranfurly Shield has a long and colourful history, both on and off the field, since it was first contested in 1904, and it has been restored twice - including earlier this year - for wear and tear.
This latest incident may result in some tightening up of regulations around its availability. Weber regrets the impact that might have on a province that suffered through serious flooding in February.
"That's a special part of the Ranfurly Shield, that so many people in the community get to see it," he said. "There's so many stories about the Shield, and different people's houses and businesses.
"We wanted to bring that back to the community. Obviously, this place has been through some seriously tough times in the last year and hopefully, once it's repaired, we can get it back out to the community.
"As a playing group, we're gutted. We're hurting that this has happened and it's broken, particularly for our community, and we want to get it back out there, so they can enjoy it."
