Alcohol Healthwatch says the Rugby Union is being hypocritical dishing out penalties to players with alcohol problems while continuing to take advantage of alcohol sponsorship.
The union this week suspended All Black winger Zac Guildford for the first four weeks of next season and ordered him to undergo alcohol treatment because of an incident in the Cook Islands in November.
Alcohol Healthwatch director Rebecca Williams says players need to accept responsibility for their behaviour, but at the same time the union is hanging on to alcohol sponsorship rather than taking a proactive approach and dropping it altogether.
