Three Wallabies stood down for Bledisloe Cup opener
- 1998
Marika Koroibete, Pone Fa’amausili and Isi Naisarani won’t be considered for selection for this weekend’s opening Bledisloe Cup match against the All Blacks in Auckland.
The trio has been stood down by the Wallabies after drinking alcohol “well beyond an agreed time”.
The group had dinner and drinks at the team hotel last Saturday night after a full training week, prior to a training free day. The players then breached team protocols by continuing to drink alcohol well beyond an agreed time.
“We are building a culture of working hard for each other and being accountable for our actions,” Wallabies coach Dave Rennie said.
“On this occasion, these three players haven’t lived up to that and we’ve taken a very clear stance.
“Ultimately these three men have paid a big price for their decisions but that’s the standard we expect of each other.”
Rugby Australia CEO Andy Marinos said it supported the action taken.
“As an organisation, we expect the highest standards at all times. While we also acknowledge that this is a minor incident, I applaud Dave and the team for taking such an open and transparent approach,” Marinos said.