Lote lands $10,000 phone bill
O'Connor gets rapped over the knuckles for tearing a player apart on a phone call to an outside Australian Squad Member (ie, not even in the leadership group) on the Sunday after the last match of the season, where there would be obvious bar noise in the background.
Tuqiri gets $10k for letting the target hear the conversation.
Yet again the ARU get things arse about.
O'Connor should have been at least fined, if not lost his job, for being so unprofessional.
What right did he have to be even answering Tuqiri's question on Hewat?!
There is no great surprise that he and others are trying to cover up the whole affair by not commenting and "has been incredibly remorseful about the whole episode", they are on such a good wicket they don't want to jeopradise their positions.
If O'Connor has any integrity left he should at least offer his resignation.
Lote lands $10,000 phone bill
By Phil Rrothfield and David Riccio
May 20, 2007
LOTE Tuqiri is facing a $10,000 fine and Australian rugby union selector Michael O'Connor has been censured by the ARU in the aftermath of the Peter Hewat phone call scandal.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal Tuqiri fronted an ARU disciplinary committee at a secret meeting on Friday.
ARU management regards Tuqiri's phone call to O'Connor during an end-of-season bonding session as a serious breach of the players' code of conduct and are expected to hand down a substantial fine within the next few days.
ARU sources have revealed board members are so outraged about Tuqiri's behaviour that the fine will be in the range of $10,000.
The Sunday Telegraph revealed last weekend that during a Waratahs drinking session Tuqiri phoned O'Connor and broadcast remarks about Hewat over speaker phone.
Hewatt stormed out of the hotel where the players were drinking and immediately stepped up his request for a release from Australian rugby, while Tuqiri apologised for his actions this week.
ARU chairman Peter McGrath revealed details of the disciplinary hearing yesterday from Dublin, where he is attending a meeting.
"Both Michael and Lote have done the wrong thing," McGrath said. "Michael has been incredibly remorseful about the whole episode.
An embarrassed O'Connor tried desperately to downplay the latest developments when contacted yesterday.
"I'd rather not make any comment," O'Connor said.
"It's become a real saga and I just don't want to throw any fuel on it. The bottom line is it was a conversation that I had with Lote and obviously I didn't think anybody else was privy to it. I'd just like to leave it at that. It's happened, I regret that it's happened and I just want to move on."
McGrath defended the ARU's delay in taking action over the incident that occurred 14 days ago.
It's understood the passing of McGrath's mother was a significant cause for the delay.
"It's also been difficult because we don't have a CEO at the moment," McGrath said. "But senior management passed it on to the ARU disciplinary committee and he (Tuqiri) faced that committee on Friday. They will pass on a recommendation on what they regard as appropriate action."
Tuqiri failed to acknowledge calls made by The Sunday Telegraph yesterday.
The prospect of a heavy fine would continue a far from memorable year for the dual international.
Sent home from a World Cup training camp after failing a fitness test in January, Tuqiri then admitted that six months of contract negotiations had affected his Super 14 form for the Waratahs.
After scoring his first try in 12 months in the final round of the Super 14 season against the Hurricanes, Tuqiri was this week overlooked for the Wallabies' two Tests against Wales.
