Wallaby escapes sanction after fan fight
DISCIPLINARY UPDATE: Wallaby flank Lukhan Tui will face no further sanction, following his encounter with an Australian fan at the weekend.
Rugby Australia completed an investigation into the incident involving Tui and a Wallaby fan after last Saturday’s loss 19-23 loss to Argentina on the Gold Coast.
Rugby Australia management has been working with witnesses and the security company it employed at the event since the incident, which occurred at the Wallabies’ reserves seating at the bottom of the grandstand – where players were being greeted by family members after the match.
The fan was detained by security and ejected from the venue by Police, following the incident – during which Tui reacted to one of his family members being physically impacted during exchanges involving the fan and another Wallabies fan.
Rugby Australia Chief Executive Raelene Castle said: “This incident 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.
“Two fans came into the area where players families were gathered and were arguing and using offensive language in criticising the players over their performance. 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.”
Castle said Rugby Australia will review security measures in light of the incident.
“The interaction between players and fans is an extremely important part of sport and we never want to see an incident like this again. We want Rugby fans to be able to get up close and personal with their heroes and our Wallabies stars.
“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.
