Guildford: Could be first Crusaders player to have contract torn up
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Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder hopes Zac Guildford gets all the professional help needed following yet another alcohol-fueled incident.
The former All Blacks wing, 23, is in the headlines again for all the wrong reasons and is currently the subject of a misconduct investigation by the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) which could derail his international and Super Rugby careers.
Guildford voluntarily stood down from the Crusaders on Sunday, after approaching management and admitting he was involved in an incident during a house party two weeks ago.
The nature of the incident has not been revealed, but Blackadder says that there is a deeply rooted problem that Guildford needs to sort out.
"I could say that there was alcohol involved and sure when the facts come alight I think that everyone will realise that there is a deeper issue here," Blackadder told One Sport.
"I just hope for Zac that we can get the right outcome and get the support that he needs because there is a problem."
Guildford has had a highly-publicised battle with alcohol. In 2011 he was suspended for four weeks after assaulting two bar patrons during a drunken episode in the Cook Islands capital, Raratonga.
He missed one Super Rugby match and three Crusaders pre-season fixtures and was ordered to undergo alcohol treatment and counselling at his own expense.
Now Blackadder believes he needs to revisit seeking similar help.
"The one thing I do know is that this isn't actually a rugby thing now," he said.
"This is about Zac getting the right professional help and actually seeing it though and basically curing and healing himself from the inside out because even last Sunday when he had acted inappropriately and was really disappointed you could honestly see the genuine hurt and the shame and the embarrassment of it all yet he keeps doing it.
"I think that he needs to get the help beyond football just to get his life back on track to be honest because obviously these things don't only hurt him but also hurt the organisation that he represents and also his family."
"I mean Zac's been given a lot of opportunities to basically sort his stuff out which he hasn't," added Blackadder.
Comments
passtheball says...
Blackadder needs help too - from what I have seen of the Crusaders in the last couple of years!
Posted 12:13 23rd January 2013
passtheball says...
"This is typical English player behaviour!" -- I've started it Jamietheprop!
Posted 14:01 21st January 2013
JamieTheProp says...
If this were an ERnglish player the board would be full of 'typical English behaviour'!
And I don't think the Premiership would touch him - the skill levels may not be what that are in the SH but fitness and commitment are key and this behaviour doesn't really fit with that!
Posted 12:57 21st January 2013
Scrumpoacher says...
Don't worry Zach some northern hemisphere sides love damaged goods
Posted 11:46 21st January 2013
APV1 says...
He needs help and I hope he gets it. This is obviously more serious than tom-foolery and being young and daft - we all were once.
Good luck Zac!
Posted 10:33 21st January 2013