No Tri-Nations date for Tuqiri after two-match ban

AUSTRALIA winger Lote Tuqiri will not play again before the World Cup after being hit with a two-match suspension and £10,000 fine for another breach of team discipline.

Tuqiri, 27, will miss Australia’s Tri-Nations clash with South Africa this weekend and their bid to regain the Bledisloe Cup in New Zealand on July 21.

The dual international will not have played for eight weeks by the time Australia open their World Cup campaign against Japan on September 8 in Lyon. The Wallabies face Wales in Cardiff a week later.

Tuqiri was breath-tested after missing a medical appointment and a midday recovery session at the team’s base in Sydney on Monday.

He returned a blood-alcohol reading of 0.05, which is above the Wallabies’ self-imposed limit.

Tuqiri had escaped with a suspended two-match ban after a late-night incident in a Cape Town bar in July 2005, on the condition he was not involved in further off-field indiscretions.

The Wallabies’ disciplinary committee initially ruled Tuqiri should be banned for one match and fined for missing Monday’s sessions.

But Australian Rugby Union chief executive John O’Neill decided to impose the full suspended sentence after consulting with senior officials.

“The agreement that no off-field indiscretions were to occur for two years has been broken and there is no alternative but to impose a two-match suspension,” said O’Neill.

Tuqiri will remain in camp with Australia but ACT Brumbies winger Mark Gerrard will come into the squad for Saturday’s clash at Telstra Stadium, the last Test on Australian soil for esteemed Wallaby half-back pair George Gregan and Stephen Larkham.

“Missing out on being selected is massive. This week George and ‘Bernie’ (Larkham) are playing their last home games and it would have been nice to play with those guys,” said Tuqiri.

The Fijian-born star explained he had gone out for a few drinks with friends on Sunday night unaware he was required at the team sessions the following morning.

“I understand where they’re sort of coming from and everything else. I did miss that session, I just didn’t know it was on,” he said.

“It was just a bad read by me. I didn’t read my diary properly. I failed to turn up at the time of the session.”

Australia have a track record of taking a harsh line on player discipline.

In 2003, Elton Flatley missed a recovery session after a night out and was dropped from the Test against England, leaving the Australians without a recognised fly-half in their squad.