No action from Rugby Australia over Tui fan incident
SYDNEY: Australian rugby chiefs Monday vowed to review security but opted to take no further action after f lanker Lukhan Tui was involved in an ugly spat with a fan in the aftermath of their loss to Argentina.
The two men had to be dragged apart as tensions boiled over following the Wallabies’ shock four-point loss on the Gold Coast on Saturday – their first home defeat to the Pumas in 35 years.
Rugby Austral ia said the spectator managed to get into seating reserved for players’ families and was using abusive language and arguing at the end of the game. Tui reacted after his younger sister was pushed by the man, with the incident rounding off a tough week for the 21-year-old, whose stepfather died suddenly on Wednesday.
Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle said the scuffle was “not something you want to see at any sporting event”.
“Emotions were running high after the match on Saturday night and I understand why Wallabies fans are frustrated after a result like that,” she added.
“One of Lukhan’s young family members was physically caught up in this exchange and this prompted the reaction from Lukhan.
“Wallabies team management have been in dialogue with Lukhan since the incident and he has indicated that he does not wish to pursue the matter any further and therefore no further action will be taken by Rugby Australia.”
While Tui and the spectator – who was detained and ejected from the ground – escaped punishment, Castle said security would be reviewed. But she stressed that interaction between fans and players remained an important part of the game.
“We feel that this is an isolated incident and we haven’t experienced anything like this in our game in the past, so we don’t want to race into any hasty measures,” said Castle. Tui told his fellow Wallabies after the match that he needed time away from the game, and coach Michael Cheika on Sunday said it was unlikely he will play in their next two fixtures, away to South Africa and Argentina.