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BRISBANE - Brisbane Broncos rugby league coach Wayne Bennett has told senior rugby union officials to get off Lote Tuqiri's back after the Australian Rugby Union warned the Wallaby star to pull his head in.
Tuqiri is facing a World Cup curfew after he and Wallaby teammate Matt Dunning were part of police investigations yesterday into the early morning bashing of a 52 year-old taxi driver outside the team's Brisbane hotel.
Tuqiri and Dunning were in their rooms at the time of the assault but Brisbane Broncos players Karmichael Hunt and Ian Lacey, who had been visiting them, were in the foyer and were also questioned by police.
Australian Rugby Union boss John O'Neill promised both Tuqiri and Dunning would be told in no uncertain terms to curb their late night drinking heading into the World Cup.
After a number of alcohol-related incidents, including a A$20,000 ($22,904) fine for failing a breath test just last month, Tuqiri's A$5 million contract is under threat if he doesn't change his lifestyle.
Bennett came to Tuqiri's defence today, accusing O'Neill and other rugby officials of grossly overreacting.
"The ARU always over react, you've got to watch them," said Bennett, who coached Tuqiri before rugby swooped with the big dollars.
"Anything involving ex-league players they over react even more.
"What is Lote supposed to do?
"Every time he sticks his nose out somewhere, he's in trouble whether it is on the field or off the field and now he is in his room and they're still finding fault with him."
Hardly a month has gone by this year without Tuqiri finding himself in hot water with officials.
In January he was sent home from a World Cup training camp after failing a fitness test and in March he was in trouble for abusing and shoving teammate Sam Norton-Knight for making an error on the field.
He was fined A$10,000 in May for putting his mobile phone loudspeaker on during a private conversation with selector Michael O'Connor who was being critical of his NSW teammate Peter Hewat.
Earlier this month he was hit with a A$20,000 fine after he missed a team medical and recovery session.
He later failed a breath test.
O'Neill today said he would give Tuqiri and Dunning a "blunt message" following revelations they have been drinking in the early hours of Friday morning.
- AAP
