Rugby's bikini website ditched

The website that caused a furore for displaying a photo of a young woman who works in Northland rugby administration wearing a bikini, accompanied by sexist comments, is off the internet.

Anyone trying to get into the KerikeriRugby.com website yesterday was linked through to a Kenyan rugby site. The website had earlier posted material accusing the Northland Rugby Union, Northland Rugby Referees Association and Northern Advocate of "censorship" after they questioned the site's use of the photo of rugby referee administrator Alanna Clare taken off a Facebook page.

The Kerikeri club did not condone nor was in any way responsible for what had happened, Northland Rugby Union chief executive Jeremy Parkinson said. He reiterated yesterday the website belonged to a private individual - Murray Potts - who was not an official of the Kerikeri club.

Had it been an official rugby site, the NRU would have acted to sanction the club or the person who managed the website, Mr Parkinson said. The NRU and the Northland Rugby Referees Association had concentrated on supporting their employee Ms Clare, whom he said had been a victim in the incident.