OPINION: I have been hearing the most bizarre radio over the past twenty-four hours after what emerged about the Chiefs rugby team and their end-of-season blowout, apparently known as 'Mad Monday'.

The facts: The Chiefs had a great season which came up short at the final hurdle. The team disbands until next season. So they had one last hurrah at a public hot pools - a function approved by management.

Firstly, a player shouted homophobic slurs. And then in an atmosphere of extreme drunkenness, players hired a stripper to act as a waitress, then take her clothes off for the men. She set the rules. No touching. Allegedly the players ignored them. She claims they threw gravel at her, touched her, poured beer on her, tried to lick her.

She went to media and said these men were animals. Which seems right. Then all hell broke loose.

Yesterday, Rachel Smalley on the Drive show gave her opinion on the whole shebang, one which I agree with. She criticised the Chiefs' management and its corporate sponsor Gallagher's. She pointed out, rightly, that both the Chiefs and Gallagher's said in their initial statements essentially the woman was a stripper so she should have expect her treatment. 

And this is the major point that then got lost in an avalanche of feedback from listeners that said Rachel was "too politically-correct" and "boys will be boys". It's the stripper's fault and not the people who hired her, they said. 

The stripper expected professional sports players to respect the rules of the game. And the rules are no touching. If they ignored it? End of debate. 

There is nothing wrong with strippers, male or female. They exist because of appreciation of the other gender's form. But rules are rules and no touching means no touching. I've been at stag nights with strippers. Not my cup of tea but at each function I've been at, the no touching rule was clear, and held to.

If they touched the stripper, then what the Chiefs players did was wrong. They broke the rules of the game and deserve a red card. No excuses. Boys may be boys but these guys are supposed to be men.

But what was worse was the reaction. Chiefs management said the stripper was not an official part of the celebrations but then said because of her profession she was "not beyond reproach". Filthy stripper. But not too filthy to hire.

Even worse was sponsor Gallagher's CEO's comments. A woman. A trustee of the Waikato's Women's refuge who maintained "If a woman takes her clothes off and walks around in a group of men, what are we supposed to do if one of them tries to touch her."

How about saying they're immature dicks? Apparently, if you're Margaret Comer, if you're at a nudist club or go skinny dipping, then anyone is allowed to touch you because you asked for it. Honestly, what an apologist for pigs.

I'm not against a blowout. I've had many. I'm not against strippers. We're all consenting adults. But I am against the Chiefs and Gallagher's management who proved themselves to be Neanderthals for not condemning their players and representatives for their drunken behaviour and their inability to stick to the rules.

And let's not forget the alcohol binge that is Mad Monday. God - otherwise known as Steve Hansen -  says there's no place for it. He's right. The night has let down a vast swathe of Chiefs fans who don't approve of booze and strippers. Next time lads, do it in private at one of your mansions paid for by your sport and for goodness' sake: DON'T TOUCH THE STRIPPERS