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Lote's the one
By Tom Wald
August 16, 2007
FORMER dual Australia international Wendell Sailor has backed repeat offender Lote Tuqiri to emerge from his spate of off-field dramas to be Australia's prime weapon at next month's Rugby World Cup.
Sailor, who is serving a two-year ban for cocaine use, said his close mate would be hurting from the public fall-out from his latest indiscretion.
"Lote is that good of a player that if the Wallabies are going to win the World Cup, he is the man and he has to stand up," Sailor said.
"This year has not been one of his best years on or off the field but he is too talented not to aim up."
Sailor had no doubts that his former teammate would be a key component in Australia's drive for a third World Cup.
"I have known Lote as a kid growing up and I have seen him since he was 15 to 16 years old," he said. "He is still a fantastic bloke. We all make mistakes and I'm sure he will pay the Wallabies back at the World Cup."
It has been a season to forget for Tuqiri, who signed a lucrative five-year deal to stick with union in March.
His minor indiscretions have started to pile up and seriously damage his reputation as one of Australia's most popular sportsmen.
Sailor didn't think the humiliation of the curfew would have Tuqiri - who is signed with the ARU until after the 2011 World Cup - pondering a return to rugby league but Wallabies great Mark Ella felt it would be "testing his commitment to the game".
Ella and former national captain Andrew Slack both felt Tuqiri's latest dramas should not badly affect Australia's World Cup preparations.
They believed there was sufficient time for the Wallabies to regroup before next month's rugby extravaganza and Tuqiri's form would not suffer.
"We have probably not got the best out of him but he has the next few weeks to prove himself and he is aware of that and there is no doubt he has the talent and capacity to do that," Ella said.
"What he needs to do now is get all these distractions out of the way and blow everyone off the field in France."
Ella said Tuqiri had to come to grips with the high levels of scrutiny on sporting stars.
"Yeah, that is a fact of life," he said. "It comes with the position. Lote is always under pressure and will always draw attention, but that is the life of a rock star. I guess you just have to put up with it," he said.
Slack said that by the time the World Cup began, Tuqiri should have moved on. "Had it happened just before the first (World Cup) game, it could have been contentious on that front," he said.
"By the time the first game comes around, his focus will be purely and simply on football."
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