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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