Tuqiri badly drawn boy
By Darren Walton
March 03, 2007
LOTE Tuqiri, the hottest property on the Australian rugby market, was embroiled in controversy after turning on New South Wales teammate Sam Norton-Knight during a sensational finale to the Waratahs' 16-16 Super 14 draw with Western Force last night.
Tuqiri and Norton-Knight were caught up in their own personal battle as the final siren sounded at Aussie Stadium.
When NSW was awarded a penalty seconds before full-time, 40 metres out and on the right-hand touch line, it was presumed that Peter Hewat would be presented with the opportunity to kick the Waratahs to victory.
But Norton-Knight took a quick tap, only to kick the ball straight to Force, who put it into touch, and Tuqiri exploded.
The dual international pushed Norton-Knight in the back as he made his feelings known before apologising to his crestfallen teammate later in the dressing room.
Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie described the incident as "a dead issue", but it is sure to fuel further debate in the discussions whether Tuqiri is worth the millions of dollars he is chasing to remain in rugby beyond this year's World Cup.
"He obviously thought we were going to kick at goal, and Sam thought there was an opportunity, so I assume that was the reason for action," McKenzie said.
"I haven't actually quizzed him on the detail.
"It was an adverse reaction.
"It's not something we're about, and Lote acknowledged that in front of the team and said that he'd done wrong and he apologised straight away, so it's finished.
"Look, he's disappointed.
"He's already apologised in the dressing room, so it's a dead issue."
With hooker and skipper Adam Freier replaced midway through the second half, flanker Rocky Elsom assumed the captaincy, but Tuqiri - who was vice-captain for Australia against Italy last November - was clearly keen to make the decisions.
Apart from the Norton-Knight incident, the wing also gestured to the posts when the referee asked what course of action the Waratahs would pursue when handed another penalty.
McKenzie denied the uncertainty surrounding Tuqiri's future was affecting the wing.
"I think he's just trying to participate in the game," he said.
"It was a tight game and it was a frustrating game in some respects.
"He's had a big training week, he's keen to get involved, so I guess he was offering an opinion."
McKenzie also defended Norton-Knight for committing what most pundits considered to be a selfish act.
"He just took a quick tap," he said.
"He obviously saw an opportunity and took it, and it didn't happen.
"We missed one (shot at goal) from the far side earlier on from a similar distance so it would have been tight.
"It's easy to say sitting in the coach's box with the benefit of hindsight to take a shot at goal.
"But I think everyone thought that was probably what was going to happen, and that's probably the reason he tapped the ball - because everyone thought there was going to have a shot at goal."
Earlier, Mat Giteau had produced a flash of brilliance to put Force within touching distance of its maiden win over an Australian opponent, but Hewat landed a penalty goal 15 minutes from time to deny the second-season franchise.
Giteau lit up Aussie Stadium with a breathtaking solo try early in the second half to give his team - which had trailed 13-0 at one stage - the lead for the first time.
Australian rugby's highest-paid player bamboozled Waratahs trio Will Caldwell, Wycliff Palu and Daniel Halangahu with a vicious right-foot step before outstripping the cover defence of opposing five-eighth Kurtley Beale.
If not for the excitement Giteau, Beale and Morgan Turinui generated with some sublime attacking rugby, the 31,149 fans at the ground may have felt short-changed after a week of intense build-up to the game.
The Waratahs jumped out to their 13-0 lead after just 20 minutes, thanks to two early penalty goals from Hewat and a brilliant solo try from Turinui.
Playing on the wing for the first time in his state career, Turinui chimed into the backline from a scrum win on the Force quarter-line, taking a crisp pass from Beale then stepping off his left foot to slice past Ryan Cross and Junior Pelasasa before straightening and accelerating to beat attempted cover tackles from Drew Mitchell and Cameron Shepherd.
Hewat landed the conversion, and few people in the ground would have predicted that he would not score for another 45 minutes - and then only to level the scores.
Giteau had a profound influence that was worthy of earning the visiting team a share of the spoils.
He first capitalised on an overlap on the Waratahs line to put full back Mitchell over, and his stunning strike in the 43rd minute deservedly earned him man-of-the-match honours.
The draw advanced Force to fifth place on the table but left the Waratahs languishing in 11th position.
AAP
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,21317178-5002381,00.html
