Australian rugby great sacked

Updated July 2, 2009 17:29:16

On the eve of the celebrated Tri Nations Rugby series One of Australia's highest paid players is taking legal action against the Australian Rugby Union. Winger Lote Tuqiri has been sacked, and the Rugby Union won't say why citing legal reasons. His agent says lawyer is working up a case.

Presenter: Di Bain
Speaker: Tim Gavel, sport commentator; John O'Neill, ARU's managing director and CEO

DI BAIN: It was meant to be a press conference celebrating the selection of Australia's top 30 rugby players for the Tri-Nations series. But it was the sacking of one of rugby's highest paid players - winger Lote Tuqiri that dominated the event this morning.

JOHN O'NEILL: I'll just read a brief statement. In reference to our announcement last night, Lote Tuqiri's contract has been terminated. We are not going into the reasons for that termination. As we said in our statement, we will be making no further comment because the termination of his contract may lead to legal proceedings.

DI BAIN: Australian Rugby Union ripped up Lote Tuqiri's contract last night. The ARU's managing director and CEO John O'Neill had little to say about it.

JOHN O'NEILL: I have no comment to make other than his contract has been terminated for proper reasons.

DI BAIN: Twenty-nine-year-old Lote Tuqiri made his name playing rugby league with the Brisbane Broncos. He changed over to union in 2002 when he joined the New South Wales Waratahs. Tuqiri received two match bans in 2005 and again in 2007 for alcohol-related events.

At today's conference Mr O'Neill wouldn't say if there were further indiscretions that led to the sacking.

JOHN O'NEILL: It is in the public arena that back in mid-August 07 Lote was provided with a letter from me which indicated due to a couple of offences at the time, he was on a warning. That further breeches would not be tolerated.

DI BAIN: It's understood Lote Tuqiri was on a salary of $700,00 and his contract was worth $5-million. He made 67 appearances for the Wallabies, but he's been out of favour with team management for the past few months and has not been selected to play in any of the Wallabies' tests against Italy and France.

Lote Tuqiri didn't return The World Today's calls. His agent confirmed legal action is commencing today. Grandstand commentator Tim Gavel says that's not unusual when a player is prematurely axed.

TIM GAVEL: It is par for the course when a player's contract is terminated. Usually they do seek some form of legal advice to see whether or not they can get a payout, whether or not the contract is legally binding, whether or not the ARU for instance has the right to sack somebody like Lote Tuqiri.

I can understand the reasons why the ARU are so cagey on it given that Lote Tuqiri obviously is going to launch legal action. They don't want to provide any ammunition to Tuqiri's legal team so that that can come back to the ARU. So it is understandable from that point of view.