Wallabies Lote Tuqiri and Matt Dunning have been slapped with a midnight curfew for Australia’s Rugby World Cup campaign after a controversial late-night drinking session, officials said on Tuesday.
Australian Rugby Union (ARU) boss John O’Neill said both players, who had a prior history of drink-related incidents, had also received a formal warning about their conduct.
The curfew, which also covers training camps, applies only to Tuqiri and Dunning, and not to the rest of the Wallaby squad to contest the World Cup in France starting next month.
The move came after the prop and the winger were questioned by police investigating an assault on a taxi driver outside their Brisbane hotel in the early hours of last Friday morning.
The pair was cleared of involvement but ARU officials were annoyed that they had returned from a nightclub to the hotel with a group including strangers, one of whom was later charged over the incident.
”The ARU has made it abundantly clear to both players how disappointed we are that they put themselves in harm’s way and that the warning they have been issued should not be taken lightly,” O’Neill said.
”Being a Wallaby is an honour, not a right. These individuals are looked up to by the community and there are high standards they are expected to meet.
”Exposing themselves, the team and the game to intense and unnecessary scrutiny and criticism clearly does not meet these standards,” he said.
”We have told the players in no uncertain terms that this is a very serious warning they have been issued and that they should be very mindful of their conduct in the future, as a repeat of this behaviour will not be tolerated.”
The action was taken after a meeting that included coach John Connolly, captain Stirling Mortlock, team manager Phil Thomson, assistant team manager Chris Webb and ARU officials.
Reports ahead of the meeting said some senior Wallabies were concerned that incidents involving Dunning and Tuqiri might lead to curfews and alcohol restrictions for all. — Sapa-AFP