England players in fresh controversy - ESPNScrum.com

England players in fresh controversy

England have been brought crashing back down to earth following their Rugby World Cup quarter-final-clinching victory over Scotland by fresh reports of embarrassing off-field antics.

James Haskell, Dylan Hartley and Chris Ashton are at the centre of the latest allegations of misconduct that stem from their recent stay in Dunedin. Hotel worker Annabelle Newton, 23, has alleged that the players called her to their room, filmed her and shouted lewd comments although the trio emphatically deny any wrong-doing.

"I was a joke to them. Afterwards they couldn't understand what they did wrong. Those players treated me with no respect," Newton told the Sunday Mirror.

Newton's duties revolved around the England team and said the players regularly joked with her but feels they over-stepped the mark. "These guys towered over me. They were the tallest guys I have ever seen. I just remember James' stupid grin. He thought it was hilarious. Dylan was on the bed. Then they got out a video camera and started to film me. I tried to hide my face, saying I'm working."

She told the newspaper that she was in tears afterwards and that their apology, which came eight days later, felt half-hearted. "I just got a sense they didn't care. I told him, I hear you guys got into a bit of trouble. Then one said, The heat's off us because of the Mike Tindall thing."

England manager Martin Johnson has since reprimanded three players for their conduct and left them in "no doubt" about his anger. Addressing the latest allegations over player conduct to have blighted his side's World Cup campaign, he said: "I was angry with them. It is just the sort of thing we have talked about.

"What they thought was humour and a light-hearted exchange has clearly not been taken that way by Annabel, the girl involved. At the time they apologised when they realised they had stepped over the mark. They had no idea how upset she subsequently became.

"We were in Queenstown for a few days. When we returned I spoke to the hotel manager, apologised to him for the disturbance we had caused to him and his staff. The guys formally apologised. They were shocked when they understood how upset she had become.

"We investigated the facts fully. They have been disciplined. They have been reprimanded for their behaviour and left in no doubt. If you leave yourself open for these headlines to be written it drags us all into it and that is what makes me particularly angry."

Mike Tindall has also returned to the spotlight as a result of his actions during the team's short stay in Queenstown where a number of players enjoyed a drunken night out.

The England boss accepted any misleading information Tindall gave as to his whereabouts that night was a simple mistake and "not a cover-up".

© ESPN EMEA Ltd

02 Oct, 2011

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