Henjak ordered to return home

Editor

Pugnacious Western Force scrumhalf Matt Henjak has been ordered to return home to Perth from South Africa, to attend in person a Serious Misconduct Tribunal Hearing.

Pugnacious Western Force scrumhalf Matt Henjak has been ordered to return home to Perth from South Africa, to attend in person a Serious Misconduct Tribunal Hearing.

The bellicose No.9 has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons in the past couple of weeks, after he fractured Force teammate Haig Sare's jaw in a bar brawl in Fremantle – which saw the Australian media dig up lots of dirt on his life, including an ever growing list of violent incidents.

Despite loud protestations from the Australian Rugby Union (ARU), Force coach John Mitchell included him in the squad for the three-match tour of South Africa and named him in the starting XV to face the Sharks in the opening match last Friday.

However, on Sunday Rugby Western Australian (RugbyWA) confirmed that Henjak has returned from South Africa to attend the tribunal hearing in Perth on Tuesday.

In a statement RugbyWA said the lawyer representing Henjak had requested that the hearing be further adjourned, until the team returns from South Africa, to allow Henjak to attend the hearing in person and not by way of video or telephone link up.

The tribunal hearing for both Henjak and Sare was started last Wednesday, but both players requested an adjournment to enable them to consider the evidence. The tribunal adjourned the hearing until Tuesday, February 19.

However, the Chairman of the Tribunal – retired district court judge Robert Viol – would not agree to the request of a second adjournment.

As a result Henjak was forced to return to Perth so that he may attend the hearing in person.

“RugbyWA strongly refutes media reports that suggest that the recruitment of another scrumhalf by the team is related to the case regarding Matt Henjak and Haig Sare,” the statements said.

“Adam Clarke, a back up scrumhalf to Henjak, sustained a season ending neck injury in early January, and a process to secure a replacement was commenced some time ago. The ARU has been assisting in this process.”

RugbyWA chairman Geoff Stooke confirmed that former Force No.9 Chris O'Young had been offered a return to Australia from Scotland.

Stooke confirmed O'Young, currently playing for the Glasgow Warriors in the Magners League, had been offered a contract and verbally accepted – but insisted it had nothing to do with the Henjak furore.

The RugbyWA chairman insisted the season ending neck injury to Clarke prompted the move.

Henjak's return from South Africa means even if he is cleared he is almost certain to miss Friday's Round Two clash with the Cheetahs, meaning James Stannard could be the only available scrumhalf in the tour squad.

Stooke said O'Young's possible availability for that game was unclear.

O'Young left the Force last year after spending the entire season on the bench as Henjak's back-up. He played in all 13 games for the Force in their debut season in 2006, but only seven last year.

Henjak refused to talk to the media after playing 66 minutes in the 10-17 loss to the Sharks in Durban last Friday.

He took the field in bright orange gloves and yellow boots, seemingly undeterred by the controversy swirling around him.

If Henjak, who has admitted he has an alcohol problem, and who has been involved in several off-field incidents, is sacked or banned for this Super 14 season, the Force will be left without a recognised scrumhalf.

If O'Young is unavailable, the Force will have to throw Stannard, who was playing club rugby in Perth last season, into the starting line-up against the Cheetahs.

It has been a difficult start to the season for John Mitchell's Force squad, who lost to face last year's beaten finalists, the Sharks, without ill skipper Nathan Sharpe.