Auckland four to be named next week as letter prolongs inquiry

The four England players at the centre of rape claims during last month's tour to New Zealand will be named next week when the Rugby Football Union's chief disciplinary officer, Jeff Blackett, concludes his investigation into the alleged incident in the team's hotel.Blackett had been ready to announce his verdict today as to whether the four had been guilty of behaviour prejudicial to the interests of the RFU, but he will be questioning the quartet again after receiving a letter from a firm of solicitors in Auckland representing the woman involved in the alleged incident which detailed her account of what happened that night.

"I have received a letter and, in the light of what it contains, my investigation will now take a few more days," said Blackett, who was not prepared to divulge the contents of the correspondence. "It seems that the woman is not going to take the matter further in New Zealand, but it means it will be Monday or Tuesday before I will be in a position to finalise my report. The four players at the centre of the investigation will then be named."

The letter was today leaked to media outlets in New Zealand. The woman, who has insisted on remaining anonymous, did not name the players and, through her solicitor, Jack Hodder, a partner at Chapman Tripp, said she wanted to correct factual inaccuracies contained in reports ever since police announced they were investigating a complaint against four England players last month.In the letter, she said that she was invited back to the England hotel by one player in the early hours after the first Test defeat to New Zealand only to be soon joined in his room by three others. She claims she was "sexually violated" by the four and that when she went to hospital later that day, "the medical professionals treating her referred her to the police."

Reports had said the woman's boyfriend approached the police, but the woman said she did not have a boyfriend and added that she was not, as had been claimed, a lap dancer. She outlined her reasons for not taking the matter further with the police, wanting to protect her privacy and being apprehensive about going through the criminal process. The four players have consistently denied any wrongdoing.

A spokeswoman for the teenage woman, Glenda Hughes, said: "The woman went back to the England hotel with one player and the situation got out of control. The letter was sent to Judge Blackett because the inquiry into the allegations in England had not contacted her or the police and she wanted the committee to hear both sides. Even though she is not known, she feels it is wrong people should look at the situation in the wrong light. She personally wanted the details corrected."Hodder added: "We can advise that the victim remains of the view that she will not make a formal complaint to the New Zealand police. Taking such action would generate extensive and invasive new media and threaten her privacy and personal life."

Blackett finds himself in a corner. Whereas his investigation was centred on the wider issues of misconduct and behaviour likely to prejudice the interests of the RFU, he has effectively been invited by the woman's solicitors to act as judge and jury on what exactly happened in the hotel bedroom.

Should he conclude that the four broke the code of conduct and either fine them or warn them about their future conduct, it may be seen as a cop-out and act as a trigger for the woman to make a formal complaint to police in Auckland. "I will need to see the players again," said Blackett. "It is going to be a busy weekend for me."

Blackett is also investigating whether the Leicester three-quarter Seru Rabeni violated a 14-week ban for gouging when he played in a charity sevens tournament in Bath for a team of Fijian internationals last weekend. If found guilty, Rabeni, whose ban ends next week, may find himself sitting out the start of next season.