Jesse Bromwich: New Zealand captain stands down amid cocaine allegations

Jesse Bromwich led the Kiwis at last year's Four Nations tournament in England

Jesse Bromwich has stood down as New Zealand captain following allegations he took cocaine.

It was alleged in court that the Melbourne Storm prop and fellow Kiwi forward Kevin Proctor bought the drug after Friday's defeat by Australia.

Proctor said he had "too much to drink" and "although I can't remember exactly what happened, I don't deny it".

New Zealand Rugby League says banning the pair from the 2017 World Cup "could be one of a number of sanctions".

The tournament will be held in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, taking place between 27 October and 2 December.

New Zealand's management and senior players are set to meet to discuss possible sanctions against captain Bromwich and Proctor after chief executive Alex Hayton said they had "breached their code of conduct".

Bromwich has been suspended for two games by his club and ordered to have counselling and treatment courses.

The forward said: "I understand I am a role model to the young players and the poor choices I made do not reflect my personal values.

"I regret making the choice of staying out with my team-mates until the early hours of Saturday morning, as well as consuming an excessive amount of alcohol.

"I take full responsibility for the poor choices I made, I am devastated and my actions were out of character."

Kevin Proctor said the "night is a bit of a blur" after "too much to drink"

Proctor, who has stepped down as co-captain of Gold Coast Titans, will appear before a club board this week and has also been stood down from playing until a "final decision" has been reached.

He said in a statement he was "extremely embarrassed and sorry for the damage I've done to the game and my personal reputation since Friday night's Test match in Canberra".

He added: "After the game we went back to the New Zealand team hotel and had a late dinner.

"After the dinner we went to a local club to have a few drinks. The rest of the night is a bit of a blur as I obviously had too much to drink before the incident that has caused all the trouble.

"I am devastated by the whole thing and can't apologise enough to my Kiwi team-mates, the NRL, the Titans, and all fans of the game.

"I've never been in this sort of trouble in my career, I have never failed a drug test, and I'm so sorry I've let everyone down by losing control of my personal decisions by drinking too much alcohol."

The allegations against the pair emerged in a court case which heard that a local man was captured on CCTV preparing a white powder on his phone.

He then handed it to Bromwich and Proctor, who were said to have rolled up bank notes and taken the substance.

While both players were named in court, neither has been charged with an offence.