Benders, handbags and 'tomfoolery' part of NZ rugby folklore

Benders, handbags and a bit of "tomfoolery" have all surfaced from the All Blacks camp over the years and each came with repercussions.

Current All Blacks wing Mark Telea found that out the hard way this morning when he was stood down from this weekend's Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Ireland due to an undisclosed breach of protocol.

"Nothing major but enough to keep him out of selection for this week. We still love him. He’s trained well. It happens," All Blacks coach Ian Foster said.

"I think it says volumes about what we believe and what we stand for. I think that speaks volumes for the team, that we’re willing to make that sort of decision."

It isn't the first time an All Black has come under the spotlight for their behaviour.

Here's six instances where the actions of some of New Zealand's best rugby players has landed them in hot water.

Fresh off a 19-16 win over Wales in Cardiff, Murdoch's tour came to a sudden end after he punched a security guard in a kitchen.

Murdoch had been drinking but there was no excuse for the solid front rower and All Blacks manager Ernie Todd sent him home.

What exactly happened at the Angel Hotel will probably never be known following Murdoch's death in 2018 but as Foster said in Wales last year, it's "part of our history".

A number of those involved with the team at the team have since expressed regret at how the situation was handled at the time.

Another All Blacks front rower who caused a bit of a scene was Norm Hewitt in 1999.

A heavily-intoxicated Hewitt smashed through a glass door at a Queenstown hotel only to find himself in the wrong room after doing so.

A tearful public apology at a press conference organised by the NZRU followed soon after and Hewitt used it as a chance to become an advocate for changing drinking habits.

No charges were filed for the incident.

It was the 2006 story no one could believe but it just kept giving - an altercation at a Christchurch pub that involved two All Blacks, a handbag and a broken cellphone.

Hurricanes teammates Tana Umaga and Chris Masoe were in hot water after Masoe got tied up with another patron and threw a punch, forcing Umaga to strike him with someone else's handbag.

Umaga's intervention stopped Masoe from escalating things but it resulted in a cellphone inside the bag to break.

Both apologised for the incident with Masoe fined $3000 by the NZRU for it while Umaga got off unscathed.

The sudden end of the All Blacks' Rugby World Cup campaign in 2007 stung for many but one who struggled to contain his emotions was wing Doug Howlett.

Howlett, who didn't play in the All Blacks' stunning 20-18 quarter-final loss to France, was arrested on suspicion of damaging two vehicles at the Hilton Hotel car park near Heathrow.

In an apology video aired shortly after his release on bail, Howlett said alcohol was involved but that wasn't an excuse, adding he was "embarrassed" by the "little bit of tomfoolery".

NZR punished Howlett for the incident but details of it were never released and he escaped punishment in court for it.

Four years later at a World Cup on home soil, Israel Dagg and Cory Jane were caught up in some antics of their own.

The duo were spotted at a Takapuna bar days before their quarter-final against Argentina - a Test Jane played but Dagg didn't feature in.

Three years later, then-NZR boss Steve Tew said the pair were under the influence of sleeping pills during their night out but were "dealt with" at the time for their "silly" actions.

The pair apologised and went on to start for the All Blacks in the semis and final of the World Cup.

Chiefs star Aaron Cruden made headlines in 2014 after he failed to make the All Blacks' flight to Argentina for the Rugby Championship after a night of drinking.

Cruden was dropped for the remainder of the Rugby Championship [two Tests] with coach Steve Hansen deeming his actions unacceptable.

"I carry the burden of shame and disappointment and I am deeply apologetic to my team, to my family, and also the New Zealand public," Cruden told media a short time later.

"I have dropped my own high personal standards, as well as the standards set by New Zealand Rugby."

He wasn't the first and unfortunately as this morning showed, he wasn't the last.