Crusaders duo Richie Mo’unga and George Bridge were cleared of misconduct allegations made during the team’s tour of South Africa earlier this year. 

New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and the Crusaders investigated claims that the two players misbehaved in two separate incidents but found that the allegations were “unsubstantiated”.

Bridge was allegedly part of a group that made homophobic slurs towards a patron in a Cape Town fast food restaurant after their 19-19 draw with the Stormers at Newlands on May 18.

A woman accused Mo’unga of spitting beer at her and her friends in a bar in Pretoria, where the Crusaders beat the Bulls on May 10.

An internal investigation was held following the Crusaders’ return to Christchurch. A joint statement by New Zealand Rugby and the Crusaders stated that both allegations were not upheld.

“NZR’s investigation has found that the allegations against Bridge were not upheld,” NZR head of rugby Nigel Cass said.

“With regard to Richie Mo’unga, the NZR investigation found that the allegations also could not be substantiated. Given the seriousness of these allegations, and the potential consequences, we needed to be confident that what was alleged, actually took place, and we weren’t.”

Cass said Mo’unga admitted he had been drinking on the night when the complainant approached him with an allegation to which he responded in a way that was poor, but which NZR accepted was out of character.

“The way he responded to the complainant was inconsistent with NZR values and expectations, and he has acknowledged this and subsequently apologised,” added Cass.

“We feel that he has learned some valuable lessons and we are satisfied that he will not put himself in the same position again in future. We have made our expectations around behaviour clear to him. He has been reminded of his obligation to be a role model for the sport at all times, especially when approached by members of the public – even in a social setting.”

Despite the investigation’s ruling, the Crusaders were asked to urgently review their protocols for team post-match activity.

“We will learn from this experience and use it as an opportunity for improvement,” said Crusaders CEO Colin Mansbridge.

“For us, this is not just about two members of our team; we all need to take some responsibility for this and learn from it. That is why we are reviewing our policies around alcohol and social media use to ascertain if our existing policies are robust enough and make changes if needed.

“If we apply the same growth mindset off the field as we do on the field, we’ll all be better people as a result.”