Bret Harris | August 13, 2007

WALLABIES management is expected to consider imposing curfews and drink bans on individual players rather than the whole squad during the World Cup in France, which starts next month.
ARU chief executive John O'Neill has ordered a team think tank to deal with the Brisbane taxi driver incident and formulate a new player behaviour code, which could include curfews and drink bans, for the World Cup.
And O'Neill has also told Brisbane rugby league coach Wayne Bennett to mind his own business after he criticised the ARU's handling of the incident.
While Wallabies Lote Tuqiri and Matt Dunning were cleared of any involvement in the assault which took place early last Friday morning outside the team hotel, O'Neill was still deeply concerned the players had put themselves in a position where they could potentially get into trouble.
The meeting today will include Wallabies coach John Connolly, high performance general manager Pat Howard, manager Phil Thomson, assistant manager Chris Webb, captain Stirling Mortlock and vice-captains George Gregan and Phil Waugh.
There has been speculation that curfews and drink bans will be placed on the Wallabies in France, but it may be done on a case-by-case basis.
"I've asked Pat Howard as general manager of high performance to convene a meeting tomorrow to examine, now the police have cleared our players of any involvement in the terrible incident involving the taxi driver, the episode on Friday morning and to see what action, if any, needs to be taken," O'Neill said.
"Secondly, separately but related, what the ARU needs to put in place for the Wallabies tour (World Cup campaign).
"We'll allow it to be done by this group. It's up to them. Curfews, booze bans, we'll leave it up to this group. This is the Team Wallaby management group.
"They will make recommendations to me. We have to get the best possible environment and preparation for the World Cup. We can't sit back and allow this to continue. It's gone on for too long."
Dunning and Tuqiri had been out late after the Wallabies' five-day boot camp ended and went back to Dunning's room with Broncos rugby league players Karmichael Hunt and Ian Lacey and several other people, one of whom was later charged with the assault.
The two Wallabies have both insisted they have done nothing wrong and in some ways they are correct, but O'Neill wants to ram home the message that players do not only have to do the right thing, but they have to be seen to be doing the right thing.
While the players were on their own time, they were still being accommodated by the ARU. In France they will be representing the Wallabies 24 hours a day for up to seven weeks.
Both Tuqiri and Dunning have been disciplined for previous late-night incidents and O'Neill was concerned there could be a pattern of behaviour by some members of the Wallabies squad.
"While the ARU shares the players' concerns for the welfare of the taxi driver, it's obvious there are issues surrounding drinking and late nights with some players," O'Neill said. "These are not one-offs."
O'Neill wants recommendations to be put to him tomorrow and he is likely to sign off on a course of action well before the Wallabies leave for a World Cup training camp in Portugal on August 23.
He also responded strongly to Bennett's accusation that the ARU had over-reacted to the incident.
"Wayne Bennett had a crack at how the ARU operates," O'Neill said. "As far as I'm aware with the four footy codes there is an unwritten convention where we find ourselves in off-field incidents we don't bag each other.
"Imagine if the ARU commented every time there was an off-field incident with the AFL or NRL.
"For Wayne Bennett, great coach that he is, it was inappropriate for him to tell us how to do our business."
Connolly said he felt for Tuqiri and Dunning on this occasion, but their public profile demanded they be circumspect.
"We've spent a lot of time talking about this in the past and there's probably no doubt the two issues, alcohol and late nights, will be discussed again."
"When you're a club player it's fine, but when you represent your country you represent them 24 hours a day," he said.
"I understand what they say, they had nothing to do with it, but the circumstances people place themselves in can lead them into trouble."
Additional reporting: AAP
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...012430,00.html