The Tauranga District Court, where a former rugby star appeared on Tuesday. Photo: SunLive
A former international rugby player accused of supplying guns to the Comancheros gang kept his name secret when he appeared in the Tauranga District Court on Tuesday morning.
Judge John Walker said he was satisfied "extreme hardship" would result if the man was to be named. He granted interim name suppression until the man's trial and remanded him on bail.
The man, who played Super Rugby and also represented New Zealand, faces charges of unlawfully possessing firearms, fraud and making a false complaint to police.
According to a previous report by the NZ Herald, the man allegedly bought five Alfa Carbine rifles from two Auckland gun stores, using more than $10,000 given to him by a Comanchero.
He is then alleged to have laid a complaint with police that the firearms had been stolen, and later made a successful insurance claim, the paper reported.
The man's lawyer, David Pawson, argued that naming him would severely impact his reputation and employment, causing extreme hardship.
The former rugby player was supported in court by his wife. He declined to comment as he left the court.
This story was first published by Stuff.