Rugby players catch burglars during practice

Press, 1 June 1989, Page 4

Rugby players catch burglars during practice

PA Auckland Four burglars will be wishing they chose a different target after they became part of a rugby practice on Tuesday evening. After finishing a five kilometre run during their evening training session, members of the Auckland Marist under 19 Blue team were called to put in an extra 10 minutes of sprint training when they disturbed the thieves in the middle of a break-in.

A team member, Mr Glen Friis, said the team was alerted by the sound of breaking glass opposite their training ground at Liston Park in Ellerslie and turned to see four men breaking into a nearby house. “We took off after them. They were pretty big guys but there were more of us,” Mr Friis said. Goods including a microwave, video and television were quickly put aside by the thieves as the chase started. “Ten of us chased them for about 10 minutes — all around the houses near the park,” Mr Friis said.

Eventually, the youths coralled the burglars into the hands of the police, who had been called by the team coach, Mr Rewi Thompson.

After the chase, Mr Friis said the team’s fitness training was “definitely coming in handy.” “We’ll win the competition now,” he said. Mr Thompson said he hoped the capture had given the team a boost after a mixed run of performances on the park this season. “They need it,” he said. “They’re certainly enthusiastic and we’ve been beaten by a point or two recently and they’re a little frustrated.

“This might swing them to success on Saturday,” Mr Thompson said. The Glen Innes police have so far charged one person with receiving as a result of the theft.