Wallaby winger Wendell Sailor will return home from the NSW Waratahs’ rugby tour of South Africa on Tuesday after incurring a one-match ban and a fine following an incident at a Cape Town nightclub, the New South Wales Rugby Union (NSWRU) said on Monday.
The NSWRU said in a statement that Sailor was suspended for one match and fined an undisclosed amount for inappropriate behaviour while intoxicated last Friday night.
Sailor learned of the penalty when he appeared before a NSW Waratahs disciplinary committee chaired by NSWRU chief executive Fraser Neill and including team manager Scott Harrison and player representatives Chris Whitaker and Adam Freier.
The statement said Sailor would return home on Tuesday after being banned for the remaining game against the Northern Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday.
The high-profile Wallaby winger had a suspended Australian Rugby Union (ARU) two-match ban hanging over him from an indiscretion last year with the Australian team in the same city.
”It’s obviously disappointing to see this happen and we find it totally unacceptable behaviour, as does Wendell,” Neill said in the statement.
Sailor said in the statement: ”It’s going to hurt me missing this game [Bulls], it hurt me missing last week’s game and I think that was half the reason I went out on Friday night.
”I’m pretty disappointed with myself, obviously a very depressing day for me today as we really should have been talking about what a good win it was by the Waratahs.”
Neill said the disciplinary committee wanted to deal with the matter swiftly.
”These things must be dealt with expediently but never at the cost of due process and that’s what we’ve followed here under NSW protocols,” said Neill.
”We have also asked for clarification on the ARU’s suspended sentence given to Wendell in South Africa last year to ensure we have been consistent with our approach.”
A Cape Town Sunday newspaper said that Sailor had been spotted in an intoxicated state and had pushed a fellow nightclub patron to the ground outside the venue early on Saturday morning.
Sailor, who had a hamstring injury and did not play in the Waratahs’ 32-26 win over the Western Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday, went to a nightclub with two other teammates, who were also not required to play.
Sailor admitted to the Herald he had been drinking and said he went outside the nightclub to make a phone call.
”The guy was in my space and I was outside trying to make a phone call and he was following me, but still I’m a bit better than that, and it’s obviously not something that I need to be doing or want to be doing being in the position I’m in,” the paper quoted Sailor as saying.
”I think the guy and I shook hands. Obviously I’m disappointed in myself … but also I couldn’t really remember the incident, probably had a few too many drinks at the bar in that space of time.
”I knew I had to be home at one o’clock to get a decent rest in before the team weights and fitness session.”
ARU chief executive Gary Flowers said earlier on Monday that having reports of a Wallaby player’s misbehaviour splashed over the newspapers was disappointing.
”All professional players have responsibilities … It’s very critical that players live up to the standards that are expected and it is disappointing,” he said. – AFP