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Wallabies bosses have been ordered to consider introducing team curfews and alcohol bans for the Rugby World Cup.
Australian Rugby Union supremo John O'Neill has called for a think tank involving Test coach John Connolly and management in the wake of Friday's police investigation into an early morning
assault on a taxi driver in Brisbane.
While no Wallabies were involved in the assault, or even at the scene, O'Neill is upset Lote Tuqiri and Matt Dunning again found themselves in the headlines following the incident outside their hotel.
Dunning and Tuqiri had been out late after the Wallabies' five-day boot camp ended and went back to Dunning's room with Broncos rugby league players Karmichael Hunt and Ian Lacey and several other people, one of whom was later charged with the assault.
Connolly will discuss with team managers Phil Thomson and Chris Webb and new ARU high-performance unit manager Pat Howard different measures including curfews and drinking bans.
Connolly and Thomson will also gauge the opinions of captain Stirling Mortlock and other senior players.
Dunning and Tuqiri have both given weekend interviews insisting they've done nothing wrong but O'Neill indicated the ARU was set to curtail players' socialising.
"While the ARU shares the players' concerns for the welfare of the taxi driver, it's obvious there are issues surrounding drinking and late nights with some players," O'Neill said.
"These are not one-offs."
O'Neill wants recommendations to be put to him on Tuesday and he is likely to sign off on a course of action well before the Wallabies leave for a World Cup training camp in Portugal on August 23.
The tournament kicks off on September 6, with Australia's squad to arrive in France on August 30.
Both Tuqiri and Dunning have been disciplined for previous late-night incidents.
Wallabies teams traditionally have never been subjected to curfews but limits on late-night activities are now likely.
Connolly said he felt for Tuqiri and Dunning on this occasion but their public profile demanded they be circumspect.
"We've spent a lot of time talking about this in the past and there's probably no doubt the two issues, alcohol and late nights, will be discussed again," he said.
"When you're a club player it's fine but when you represent your country you represent them 24 hours a day.
"I understand what they (Tuqiri and Dunning) say, they had nothing to do with it but the circumstances people place themselves in can lead them into trouble."
In good news for the Wallabies, Connolly is confident he can this week sign off on his preferred 30-man squad for the tournament with powerful No.8s Wycliff Palu and David Lyons set to prove their fitness.
Palu came through his 40-minute Australian Rugby Championship return from a shoulder injury with a mere tight hamstring while scans have shown Lyons' leg blood clot is dissipating.
"I think we're pretty confident they will be right," Connolly said.
- AAP
