Lote Tuqiri set to sign with French Top 14 club Bayonne

By Bret Harris and Brent Read
August 04, 2009 Former Wallabies winger Lote Tuqiri is poised to join French Top 14 club Bayonne.
Tuqiri, who had his contract terminated by the ARU last month for breaching team protocols, is expected to fly to Bayonne next week to sign a contract.

The club approached Tuqiri last year, but he was under contract to the ARU and NSW Waratahs.
Tuqiri told Bayonne he could be interested in the future, but at the time he had no idea how soon that moment would arrive.
The cashed-up French club was still looking for a winger when the ARU dumped the dual international.

Bayonne, in southwest France, was always going to be a good fit for Tuqiri.
There are several Australians there, including rugby league convert Craig Gower and former Wallabies Rodney Blake and Manny Edmonds.
Tuqiri played for the Australian Kangaroos rugby league team with Gower, and the Wallabies with Blake.

And the big-spending French club would be able to offer Tuqiri a contract comparable to his multi-million-dollar ARU deal.
A veteran of 67 Tests for the Wallabies since switching codes in 2003, Tuqiri was sacked by the ARU over an incident believed to have occurred in camp in Canberra in the lead-up to the Test against Italy on June 13.

Tuqiri is now suing the ARU for breach of contract and his legal action will begin in the Supreme Court of NSW on Friday unless the matter is settled out of court.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23217,00.html

Nice part of the world to be playing rugby anyway.

And they're mad for their rugby down there. He'll probably find the press a bit less intrusive in France, too.

Will this affect his suing of the ARU, or has that been dropped?

By staff writers
August 04, 2009 .Former Wallabies winger Lote Tuqiri has denied rumours he will head to France next week to negotiate a contract with French club Bayonne.

The Australian newspaper reported the potential move on Tuesday, but Tuqiri said talk he was about to join the Top 14 club was “just speculation”.

Tuqiri had his contract terminated by the ARU last month.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23217,00.html

Rugby: Tuqiri targeted by French club
7:47AM Wednesday Aug 05, 2009

BAYONNE - French Top 14 side Bayonne confirmed today they have been in contact with sacked Wallabies winger Lote Tuqiri.

However, the south-western French outfit dismissed reports that the 67-test veteran - who scored Australia's try in the heartbreaking 2003 World Cup final defeat to England - was about to sign a deal.

This follows reports in Australia on Tuesday that the player would fly to France to ink a contract next week.



The report, which did not cite sources, said Tuqiri was originally approached by Bayonne last year but at the time was under contract to the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) and the NSW Waratahs.

A Bayonne spokesman told AFP that they were in contact with Tuqiri "some months ago" but had "no contact recently".

http://msn.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news...588764&ref=rss

Still it must be nice to have the phone ring and rugby clubs from around the world ringing to see if you want to be paid lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$$ to play rugby.

Where is my phone call?

I do get emails about our fixtures every week, I suppose that's something.

good luck to the big fella. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him play.