Wellington, Feb 18 NZPA - Hurricanes lock Jason Eaton's breach of team protocol occurred during a night out when a barman refused to serve him drinks, the Dominion Post newspaper said today.

It was announced yesterday that the All Blacks forward will miss Saturday's Super 14 rugby match against the Western Force in Wellington.

Hurricanes management would not comment on the breach, describing it as an employment issue. A team statement simply said Eaton was not considered for this Saturday's game, but the newspaper reported today that the stand-down followed a letter sent to the New Zealand Rugby Union complaining about a verbal exchange at a bar.

It was unclear when the breach occured, but Hurricanes coach Colin Cooper said Eaton had to accept the consequences of breaking team protocol.