New Zealand Rugby League chairman Selwyn Bennett resigned Friday, accepting responsibility but refusing to admit fault over the selection of Australian Nathan Fien for the Kiwis' Tri-Nations squad.

The executive committee of the Rugby League International Federation on Thursday stripped New Zealand of two competition points and banned Fien from the remainder of the Tri-Nations tournament when it found the Australian-born hooker was not eligible for the Kiwis as the New Zealand league had claimed.

Bennett had put forward Fien's claim of eligibility, saying he qualified through a New Zealand-born grandmother. But checks by the international federation found his great-grandmother rather than his grandmother was New Zealand-born.

RLIF chairman Colin Love described New Zealand's selection of Fien as a breach of trust, strongly suggesting it had been aware of his ineligibility when it included him in Tri-Nations matches against Australia and Britain.

New Zealand forfeited the competition points it took from its 18-14 win over Britain, leaving it tied with the British at the bottom of the championship table.

New Zealand's only defence of its decision to pick Fien was that the eligibility regulation was ambiguous and that the term grandparent could be interpreted to include a great-grandparent.

``I still believe I was right in what I did,'' Bennett said Friday. ``I have no problem with great grandmothers or grandmothers, call them what you like. I would do the same again. In hindsight I would probably make the same decision.''

Bennett said he accepted responsibility for Fien's selection and was resigning to avoid further criticism of New Zealand Rugby League officials.

``I was the one who ordered the birth certificate to be sent to the Australians, I was the one who verified it,'' he said. ``They've got their scalp, now leave the league alone.''

© The Canadian Press, 2007