No penalty for twittering All Blacks

All Black duo Cory Jane and Neemia Tialata won’t face any sanction after revealing they’d been left out of this weekend’s team to play England at Twickenham on social networking site Twitter.

New Zealand coach Graham Henry said he had to “find out what bloody Twitter was,” adding: “I thought he was the new five-eighth (fly-half) playing for England.”

Winger Jane and prop Tialata posted the news they’d been rested on Tuesday, the day before the official team announcement at New Zealand’s hotel.

But Henry took a relaxed view after naming his team in London on Wednesday, saying: “It’s not a major thing, is it? I haven’t lost any sleep over it. I saw the headline, shrugged my shoulders and got on with it.”

“I will have a quiet reminder tomorrow (with Jane and Tialata) but it won’t be six of the cane,” the former schoolmaster added.

“I had to find out what bloody Twitter was, I thought he was the new five-eighth playing for England.”

The New Zealand pair are not the only sportsmen who have pre-empted a team announcement on Twitter.

Australia cricketer Phillip Hughes got into hot water with team management after announcing on Twitter he’d been left out of the third Test of this year’s Ashes series against England.

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