FIVE New Zealand rugby league Test players have been accused of sexually assaulting a young woman in a hotel room in Wellington after last Sunday's Test match against Australia.

The woman told Wellington police she was assaulted between 9pm and 11pm in a room at the Angus Inn Hotel in Lower Hutt where the New Zealand Test team was staying.

She made the complaint the following morning, just before 11am.

"Apparently the young lady said she was assaulted by up to five players," the hotel's food and beverage manager, Jamie Kirton, told the Herald.

"We weren't aware of the complaint until after the team had gone the next day."

New Zealand's OneNews television network reported last night that a high-profile member of the team, who was supposed to be sleeping in the room, packed his bags and moved to another room because he felt "so uncomfortable".

The woman, who is not an employee of the Angus Inn, said she screamed for help during the alleged ordeal. Kirton said no other guests had heard any commotion and no complaint had been made to staff who were on duty at the hotel's 24-hour reception desk.

Wellington police took bedding from the room for examination yesterday but did not ask for any footage from the hotel's security cameras. It's believed the woman entered the room through a side door leading to the car park.

Detective Senior Sergeant Paul Borrell of Wellington police said the woman was very distressed. He said the investigation would take some time to complete because the team had flown to Britain for a four-match tour. The squad left the hotel at 6.45am to catch a 1.50pm flight to London via Malaysia.

"Our inquiry has only just started and we're still gathering all the relevant information," he said. "Given that the team is now playing overseas, it will be some time before our inquiry is completed.

"A central focus of the investigation is to establish the identities of the men involved. Just who they are is not clear at this point."

Team management was made aware of the investigation yesterday but would not comment on the incident. "As this matter is in the hands of the police, it would be inappropriate for any comment to be made at this stage and to date we have not been informed of any of the details," said NZRL general manager Peter Cordtz.

The Kiwis had used the Angus Inn for the past two or three years when playing Wellington Tests, Kirton said.

"We have never had a single problem with them," he said. "The team had stayed with us for six days, from Tuesday until [Monday morning]. There are 39 rooms downstairs, there were 30 of them including officials, and they had 15-16 rooms booked and there were other guests on the ground floor.

"The room where this is alleged to have happened is quite close to the reception area."

The Kiwis will play three Tests against Britain and one against France. They landed at London's Heathrow Airport yesterday evening (AEST), and when contacted by the Herald, team officials declined to comment.

UK police said they had not planned to interview the players.

The incident comes at a time the Kiwis are at their lowest ebb, having suffered a humiliating record defeat at the hands of Australia at Westpac Trust Stadium. They lost 58-0, had centre Steve Matai sent off for a high tackle, and suffered injury problems, with fullback Krisnan Inu and winger Luke Covell ruled out of the British tour.

Under new coach Gary Kemble, the team is experiencing a transitional period, with some senior players having retired last year, most notably former captain and off-field leader Ruben Wiki, who had built a strong team culture.