SYDNEY - Experienced Australian hooker Jeremy Paul has revealed his frustration at being dropped from the Wallabies rugby squad by coach John Connolly.
Paul was omitted from a 30-man squad to play home tests against Wales and Fiji, as well as this year's Tri-Nations tournament.
The Australian
Rugby Union (ARU) also blocked a proposed move to English club Gloucester by refusing to release him from his contract.
"I just want to move on with my life," Paul told the Sydney Daily Telegraph.
"This is not a knee-jerk reaction where I haven't been picked so I'm going to spit my dummy."
Paul said Connolly had not been consistent in his selection policy.
"At the end of the day, John talks about picking on form yet he's picked a captain (Phil Waugh) who has only played a couple of games all season," Paul said.
"So where's the picking on form?
"You can pull the form card out when you want it but at the end of the day it's pretty hard to take."
Paul withdrew from the Australia A squad to play Tonga in the Pacific Nations Cup on Friday because of a shoulder injury.
"I've got a bad shoulder at the moment, I was pretty happy to play injured for the Brumbies but not now," the 30-year-old said.
"No more jabs."
Connolly defended his decision to deny Paul, Australia's most-capped hooker with 72 test appearances, release from his ARU contract.
"Jeremy is still very much in World Cup reckoning," Connolly said.
"Three hookers may well go to France and it's a very contentious position at the moment."
Stephen Moore and Adam Freier were named in the Wallabies squad, and Sean Hardman was called up to replace Paul in the A squad.
- REUTERS
