All Black halfback Jimmy Cowan has moved on from incidents earlier in the year and become a better person, one of his employers said yesterday.
His back-up in last week's test, Piri Weepu, has also found himself in the court system, given diversion this week for a disorderly behaviour charge.
Cowan (26) was sentenced in the Invercargill District Court on Thursday after admitting two disorderly behaviour charges in regards to two incidents, one occurring in Dunedin on May 11 and another in Invercargill on June 29.
Cowan faces a status hearing in the Dunedin District Court on October 6 on a disorderly behaviour charge after an incident in Bath St on April 5.
Rugby Southland chief executive Roger Clark said Cowan, who plays for the Stags and Highlanders, had moved on.
"It has been a big learning curve for Jimmy. If you accept that you have challenges in life and face up to those challenges then you can become a better person for it," Clark said.
"Jimmy has done that. He has learnt from what has happened and moved on."
Cowan had cemented his place in the All Blacks in the Tri-Nations and started in the series decider against Australia in Brisbane last weekend.
Cowan was fined $3000 by the New Zealand Rugby Union, ordered to undergo alcohol counselling, placed on a booze ban, and warned if he drank again his contract would be torn up, after a disciplinary hearing in July, stemming from his three arrests.
Cowan did not appear in court on Thursday, but his counsel, Judith Ablett-Kerr QC, told the court Cowan was going through issues at the time of the incident which would have brought similar distress to an ordinary person.
Cowan was apologetic about his behaviour, and was working to overcome his frailties.
Judge Kevin Phillips convicted and discharged Cowan for the Dunedin incident and convicted and fined him $300 for the Invercargill incident.
Cowan jumped on a parked car on May 11, and argued with door staff after being refused entry to an Invercargill nightclub in the June incident.
Weepu was charged with disorderly behaviour after an incident in the capital on September 6.
Weepu's lawyer, Tim Castle, told the Wellington District Court this week Weepu banged on the window of a fast food outlet to attract someone's attention.
Weepu has entered the diversion scheme for first offenders, which allows offenders to escape conviction in return for admitting guilt and doing community work.
The NZRU was considering disciplinary action for Weepu but would wait until he had completed diversion.
