RA taking no further action over Lukhan Tui incident

Editor

Rugby Australia have decided to take no further action against Lukhan Tui or the fan he was involved in an altercation with after Saturday’s Test match.

In the aftermath of the Wallabies’ 23-19 defeat to Argentina on the Gold Coast on Saturday, Tui took exception to verbal abuse from one fan in particular, after a tough week in which he had lost his stepfather suddenly. Tui told teammates after the game it was highly unlikely he would play again this year.

“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,” Rugby Australia chief executive Raelene Castle said in a statement on Monday.

“Therefore no further action will be taken by Rugby Australia.

“This incident was not something you want to see at any sporting event,” she added.

“Emotions were running high after the match on Saturday night and I understand why Wallabies fans are frustrated after a result like that.”

According to local media, Tui became involved when a member of his family was caught up in the exchange.

“The interaction between players and fans is an extremely important part of sport and we never want to see an incident like this again,” Castle continued.

“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.”

The Wallabies, who are at the foot of the Rugby Championship standings, next tackle the Springboks in Port Elizabeth on September 29 before facing the Pumas in Salta on October 6.