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Just a nice article proving that rugby boys aren't all like Dumb & Dumber - oh sorry Tuqiri and Dunning....
Who needs alcohol when rugby gives you a buzz
Julia Whyte - The Canberra Times
Alcohol-fuelled off-field dramas suggest that rugby union is fostering a culture of binge drinking and all-night celebrations, but a day after the ARU issued a curfew to two of its top players one of the sport's most promising young talents said he had never felt pressured into drinking or getting drunk.
ACT Brumbies flanker Julian Salvi represents a new breed of players who are more likely to order a soft drink than alcohol when they head to the pub for after match celebrations.
The 21-year-old, who is part of the World Cup shadow squad, admitted yesterday he has had a beer or two on a Mad Monday or after a big win but had never been drunk.
Salvi said while the Brumbies had educated the players on the impact alcohol can have on performance, it was a lifestyle choice he had made before joining the two-time Super 14 champions.
"I never really got into the whole sort of drinking thing, a lot of my mates did it at school and things, but for me personally rugby was more a focus for me at that stage and just getting through school academically as well, so I've never really started and it never really caught on once I got into the rugby scene," he said.
"There's a great camaraderie that we've formed at the Brumbies and that's not about drinking and I've never found that pressure to drink."
Brumbies winger Franky Fainifo and flyhalf Christian Lealiifano are also among the players who rarely drink alcohol.
Fainifo said his choice to only have a beer or two at a birthday or family gathering is due to his upbringing.
"My dad's a reverend, he's always said when I was little to keep away from that stuff and now that I'm old enough to make my own decisions he's happy for me to do what ever I want," he said.
"But life's been good without it."
Such admissions are probably music to the ears of officials at the ARU who this week have had to hose down another controversy involving two players out on an all-night drinking binge.
While Queensland police cleared Lote Tuqiri and Matt Dunning of any implication in an alleged assault last Friday, the fact both players had been out drinking until 5.30am, lead the ARU to give the repeat offenders a 12pm curfew for the Rugby World Cup and training camps leading up to the tournament.
Salvi said it was each player's prerogative whether or not he drinks but supported a curfew for players who were time and again putting themselves and the sport in harm's way.
"I can't really comment on what other people do, although when they get totally off their face and cause a bad name for rugby union they are impacting [the code] and I suppose in that sense, they've got to be careful what they do, they are in the public light and they are role models for young players," he said.
Brumbies chief executive officer Andrew Fagan said the side had never had to impose such measures as curfews or banning alcohol, but it does have an alcohol policy, which allowed the club to test any player who arrived "without the ability to train at the required level" but it had not been needed since it was introduced two seasons ago.
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Originally Posted by fulvio sammut
Can't agree more!
