MUNSTER WINGER and former All Black Doug Howlett may find himself facing either an “adult warning” or a fine after he was arrested following a public order incident in Kilkenny city earlier this week.
Howlett was arrested after the Garda received a call that there was an altercation between a number of men outside Mick the Miller’s pub on the corner of John Street and John’s Quay in Kilkenny at around 1.40am on Tuesday.
Howlett was brought to Kilkenny Garda station but was later released without charge. It’s understood the incident is likely be dealt with by way of either an adult caution or under the fixed penalty charge system.
A number of Munster players had been socialising at Langton’s Hotel earlier on Monday night, and it is believed Howlett took issue with the behaviour of one of his team-mates who was also taken to task over his behaviour by a member of the public in the bar.
An argument then broke out between a number of the Munster players and some members of the public, and it's understood the dispute continued when the group moved on to the street heading towards Mick the Miller's pub, a Garda source told The Irish Times.
“Dougie was a bit unlucky – he was remonstrating with his teammate when a local fellow waded in and started giving out as well,” the source said. “It then turned into the Munster lads versus the locals, but it was all a bit of handbags really and Dougie was unlucky to be arrested.”
Another Garda source described the incident as “a minor matter – the type of thing that can happen in any town in the country on any night of the week”, and said it would hardly merit a mention except that Howlett is such a well-known sportsman.
First capped by the All Blacks in 2000, the 32-year-old scored a record 49 tries in 62 Tests for the Kiwis before joining Munster in 2008 when he helped the Irish province capture its second European Heineken Cup with a win over Toulouse.
Yesterday, Munster Rugby issued a statement in relation to the incident, confirming one of its players was arrested for a public order offence but it did not identify the player.
“Munster Rugby are aware that an incident involving its players took place in Kilkenny on Monday night. A Munster player was subsequently arrested and released shortly afterwards in relation to a public order incident described by gardaí as “a minor incident”.
“Munster Rugby are satisfied to leave the matter with the Garda Síochána. Any internal disciplinary action will be decided upon in due course,” the statement read.
Born in Auckland of Tongan extraction, the player set up the Doug Howlett Outreach Foundation in 2007 to help children from socially disadvantaged areas to realise their sporting and academic potential through the provision of a series of scholarships.
