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SYDNEY - Wallabies fullback Julian Huxley admits he is hugely embarrassed after a late night incident forced him out of Saturday's Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup rugby decider against New Zealand.
An irked Wallabies coach John Connolly ruled Huxley out of the Tri-Nations/Bledisloe Cup decider on Monday after he suffered a bruised thigh during some "tomfoolery" after the Brumbies awards night.
Huxley was at a function in Canberra after the Brumbies' awards on Saturday night when he was tackled by former Wallaby Gene Fairbanks.
A sheepish Huxley fronted the media and while he wasn't at fault in the matter he still feels he has let his teammates down.
"We were at a private function after the game and it was just a joke gone wrong and it turned out to be quite embarrassing," he said.
"It's really disappointing to miss the test match."
Huxley said he had no hard feelings towards Fairbanks and he's still hopeful of being named next week in the Wallabies World Cup squad.
The Australian Rugby Union will take no further action over the matter.
Winger Adam Ashley-Cooper and veteran Chris Latham, who has overcome a knee injury, are in contention to replace Huxley on Saturday.
While having looked as if he would sit out the Eden Park match, Chris Latham is confident he is ready for a comeback against the All Blacks.
Latham played his first full match since knee surgery in January, for Brisbane club Gold Coast on Sunday.
"A month ago it was: 'Is Chris Latham going to play a game before the World Cup?', now all of a sudden I'm looking at the possibility of playing the Bledisloe in New Zealand," Latham said.
- AAP, NZPA
