Wednesday 10 June 2020 11:04, UK
New Zealand rugby league international Benji Marshall was quarantined from his Wests Tigers team-mates on Wednesday for breaching social distancing protocols by kissing a reporter.
The halfback fell foul of the National Rugby League's strict biosecurity rules when he greeted a television reporter with a kiss on the cheek after arriving for training at St Luke's Park in Sydney.
Marshall, who was controversially dropped on Tuesday for Saturday's match against Canberra, will remain at home for the next 24 hours.
"Marshall was involved in a social distancing incident with an accredited reporter, which was immediately reported to the NRL as per guidelines," the club said in a statement.
"Under those guidelines, Marshall will remain at home tomorrow, which is a scheduled day off for Wests Tigers NRL squad, while the reporter undergoes a COVID-19 test.
"Assuming a negative result is returned, no further action will be required by Marshall or Wests Tigers."
Seven Network's Michelle Bishop, the reporter involved, tweeted: "Just goes to show you, we can all get caught up in life and forget what kind of world we are living in at the moment. Off to be tested."
Marshall will not be allowed to return to the club until Bishop's test result is confirmed, the NRL said.
After a 10-week pause due to the coronavirus outbreak, the NRL resumed in late-May with teams and players banned from mixing with people outside their clubs, households and families to reduce the risk of infections.
Sydney side Canterbury were handed a $17,500 suspended fine last week after a former player visited training and shook hands with squad members.
