Henjak cover-up 'despicable'

SYDNEY - Australia's rugby media has not spared Wallabies team management the lash over misleading them about the Matt Henjak affair.

Henjak, a halfback in the Wallabies squad, has been sent home from South Africa for misbehaving at a Cape Town nightclub early last Thursday.

Team management initially said Henjak was being dispatched after he threw the contents of his drink in the nightclub.

But manager Phil Thomson was forced yesterday to confirm there had also been a verbal altercation between Henjak and star winger Lote Tuqiri, after television reports in Australia said the pair had been involved in a fight.

Thomson said there was no physical contact between the pair.

He also revealed that there had been previous public incidents involving Henjak that were taken into account.

Sydney Morning Herald newspaper writer Greg Growden said it was despicable that management did not reveal the full facts until being forced into a corner.

"This team can be accused of a cover-up, especially as it did not reveal when announcing Henjak was going home that he had been involved in an argument in a public place with a team-mate.

"Surely this crucial, damning fact should have been revealed straight away, and would have stopped reports that Henjak had allegedly been strangled by Tuqiri after throwing a drink at him."

Growden said the original call of sending Henjak home and fining Tuqiri, Wendell Sailor and Matt Dunning was good, but the delivery was appalling.

In the Australian, Wayne Smith said that in only releasing half the story, Wallabies management had made Henjak look a scapegoat, while raising suspicion they were involved in a cover-up.

"As an exercise in damage control, it was as counter-productive as anything mounted this side of Watergate."

The question remained as to what the four were still doing in a nightclub in the early hours just two days out from a test match against South Africa.

The Daily Telegraph, under a story headlined, "Send the lot home", carried the comment from former Wallabies flanker Simon Poidevin that while he had no problem with Henjak being sent home, he did with the other three escaping with A$500 ($561) fines.

"I might be old school, but if I had been manager of that side I don't think Matt would be coming home alone."

He also suggested fines should be up around the A$10,000 mark, the payment players receive per test.

In the story, Henjak denied he had hurled ice or a drink at Tuqiri and said there was no physical contact between them.

Writer Peter Jenkins said it was time for coach Eddie Jones to apply curfews and sack anyone who broke them. "Australian rugby is wearing a black eye today."

- NZPA