Former Australian Test rugby star David Campese wasn’t able to ”goose step” this obstacle.
Campese, who scored 64 Test tries and played in 101 Tests for Australia, has been an outspoken critic of his national team since he retired in 1996.
Now it appears as if Campese, who was voted player of the tournament in the 1991 World Cup and was famous for his ”goose step” to evade would-be tacklers, has been shunned by the current Wallabies.
The team reportedly voted unanimously not to have Campese present them with their jerseys before last weekend’s Tri-Nations match against South Africa in Cape Town, which the Springboks won 22-19.
It is customary for a former Australian player to hand the Wallabies their jerseys in a private team ceremony before each Test match. Campese, who lives on the Western Cape in South Africa, was proposed by the team’s management to fill that role for Saturday’s match, but the Australian newspaper reported on Thursday that the players voted against it.
Instead, the jerseys were presented by a member of the team management, a break with recent tradition.
An Australian Rugby Union official said on Thursday he could not confirm or deny the newspaper report.
Campese, who scored six tries at the 1991 World Cup, won by Australia, has used his Sydney newspaper column in recent months to refer to the Wallabies as ”diabolical,” criticise coach John Connolly and his predecessor Eddie Jones, and continue his long-running attack on former captain George Gregan. – Sapa-AP