Wallaby Lote Tuqiri says he is devastated after being dumped by the Australian Rugby Union (ARU), a decision which effectively ended his chances of winning a World Cup.
The 67-Test winger said he has been in a state of shock since being told by the ARU on Wednesday that they were terminating his lucrative five-year contract, due to expire in 2012 over a “standard employment matter.”
Both the ARU and Tuqiri have refused to fully disclose details, citing legal reasons.
Amid reported outrage among some of his Wallabies’ teammates over his sacking, Tuqiri, 29, yesterday revealed his feelings about the dramatic events which abruptly ended his high-profile six-year career in rugby union.
“I’m still in a state of shock,” Tuqiri told the Sunday Telegraph. “I didn’t see it coming. I don’t know what my future holds. I’ve got the next week or so to work out what I want to do and where I’d like to go with my football career.”
ARU chief executive John O’Neill said Tuqiri had received a letter two years ago warning that further contract breaches would not be tolerated.
Representatives of Tuqiri have said he will fight his axing through the courts.
The two-time World Cup Wallaby said it “hurts” him that he will not be able to fulfil his ambition to win the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.
“My main goal was to get to the 2011 World Cup. It is very sad I won’t get that chance,” he said. “I’ve had a crack at two World Cups and the fact I can’t rectify the way we went out leaves a bitter taste.”
Tuqiri said he had always tried to conduct himself in the best possible way as a professional sportsman despite “disappointing” past indiscretions.
“I’ve tried to move on,” he said. “Wherever I go, I guess I’ll be scrutinized.”
Reports said the ARU’s treatment of Tuqiri has angered several of his Wallaby teammates.
One unnamed source close to the Wallabies told the Sun-Herald.
“Players think he’s [John O’Neill] responsible for Lote being sacked but no one’s game to say anything. They’re shocked at it. I don’t know how they think they can sack him,” he said.
O’Neill has described suggestions that he had a personal agenda against Tuqiri as “ridiculous” and said the winger’s massive salary was not a consideration in his contract termination.
Reports said that Tuqiri may be forced to play overseas with his prohibitive price tag potentially blocking a return to Australia’s National Rugby League.
Although some clubs initially sounded out an NRL return for Tuqiri, who played 99 NRL games for the Brisbane Broncos and five rugby league Tests for Australia before he switched codes in 2003, they now say they cannot afford him.
ANFIELD BLUES: Kylian Mbappe arrived at Anfield on a run of 21 goals in 17 games, but he managed just three attempts in the match, none of them hitting the target Kylian Mbappe has been nearly unstoppable this season, but he hit a roadblock in their UEFA Champions League match at Anfield on Tuesday. For the second year running, the Real Madrid forward had a night to forget at Merseyside as Liverpool won 1-0. Mbappe looked a shadow of the player who has been tearing defenses apart all season. “We were lacking that threat in the final third,” said Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, without naming Mbappe individually. The FIFA World Cup winner for France rarely looked capable of finding a breakthrough against a Liverpool team who have been so defensively fragile for much of the
LOCAL SUCCESS: In the doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in straight sets Elena Rybakina on Monday punched her ticket to the WTA Finals last four with an impressive 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over second seed Iga Swiatek in round-robin play in Riyadh. After cruising past Amanda Anisimova in her opener on Saturday, Rybakina claimed her second win of the week to guarantee herself top spot in the Serena Williams Group. Anisimova on Monday rallied back from a set and a break down to triumph 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in her all-American battle with seventh seed Madison Keys, who has been eliminated from the competition. “Madi was playing so well, it was quite a battle out there,”
Erling Haaland on Sunday scored twice to propel Manchester City up to second in the English Premier League with a 3-1 win over AFC Bournemouth. The Cherries started the day in second thanks to the longest unbeaten run in the English top flight, but Andoni Iraola’s side were undone by the scintillating form of the Norwegian striker, who took his tally to 13 Premier League goals in 10 games. Haaland’s relentless streak is maintaining City’s title challenge as they reduced the gap to leaders Arsenal back to six points and edged one point ahead of Liverpool, who they face at the weekend. “Important
For almost 30 minutes, Vitomir Maricic did not take a breath. Face down in a pool, surrounded by anxious onlookers, the Croatian freediver fought spasming pain to redefine what doctors thought was possible. When he finally surfaced, he had smashed the previous Guinness World Record for the longest breath-hold underwater by nearly five minutes. However, even with the help of pure oxygen before the attempt, it had pushed him to the limit. “Everything was difficult, just overwhelming,” Maricic, 40, told reporters, reflecting on the record-breaking day on June 14. “When I dive, I completely disconnect from everything, as if I’m not even there.
RSS