A young woman in Whanganui, New Zealand was allegedly raped by the members of the South Canterbury rugby team at the weekend. The team were staying at a Whanganui hotel in the early hours of Sunday when they reportedly raped a young woman.

They were in the area for a Heartland Championship match against the local province the day before. The case is now under investigation, with ten officers assigned on it.

"This is very distressing for everybody involved, and from a South Canterbury rugby perspective, it is very disappointing," South Canterbury Rugby Union chairman Brent Isbister was quoted by the New Zealand Herald, adding that the rugby board had been made aware of the allegations.

"Quite obviously our union will be working with police to help with their investigations."

He had also confirmed that he told the players not to speak to the media as of the moment.

It's not known how many members of the rugby team were involved in the accusation. Detective Senior Sergeant Neil Forlong said that they are still in the early stages of investigation.

"We do not yet have all the information including the number of alleged offenders involved," he said. "We have a number of statements to take and one of our priorities is getting this completed so we can piece together what has happened."

A scene examination of the hotel where the alleged crime had taken place has been completed.

Coach Chester Scott, meanwhile, was taken by surprise by the allegation.

"It is news to me but I intend to find out what is going on. I'm not really in a good position to talk right now because I'm gutted," he told Fairfax NZ. "I hope it didn't happen."

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