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By Bret Harris
July 11, 2009 Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock's support of the Rugby Union Players Association's investigation into the sacking of Lote Tuqiri may put him at loggerheads with ARU chief executive John O'Neill.
RUPA chief executive Tony Dempsey announced on Wednesday that the players association would consider taking legal action against the ARU if the investigation found any breaches of the collective bargaining agreement.
It was former Wallabies captain George Gregan's support of RUPA's legal action against the ARU over the World Cup participation agreement in 2003 that strained his relations with O'Neill.
Gregan was a strong advocate of players' rights, but O'Neill was aghast when he backed the legal move against the ARU.
In his book, It's Only a Game, O'Neill wrote of his disappointment in Gregan's role in the legal proceedings: "In the lead-up to the World Cup, during a dispute over bonus payments for the tournament, Gregan signed an affidavit that was used to help launch a court action against the ARU. For a Wallaby captain to put himself in that position, in such obvious conflict with his employers, left a bitter taste in many mouths among the ARU hierarchy."
Gregan's role in RUPA's legal action against the ARU was one of the reasons O'Neill considered sacking him as Wallabies captain after the World Cup in 2003.
O'Neill thought about appointing NSW Waratahs captain Phil Waugh as Wallabies skipper in 2004, but he never got the chance to canvass the idea because of his own departure from the ARU a few weeks after the World Cup.
Given his history with Gregan, it is hard to imagine O'Neill would have been thrilled with Dempsey's revelation that Mortlock supported RUPA's investigation into the conduct of the ARU in the sacking of Tuqiri.
Of course, at this point Mortlock has not signed any affidavits, but he has supported a move that could potentially lead to legal action against the ARU.
Mortlock also expressed sympathy for Tuqiri and his family at a media session in Sydney after training on Tuesday. Yet, what else would you expect Mortlock to do?
Some Wallabies are believed to be upset and unnerved by the ARU's termination of Tuqiri's multi-million-dollar contract.
If Mortlock distanced himself from the players' concerns and was seen to be siding with management, he would risk losing the support and confidence of the team he is meant to lead.
That would be a wonderful scenario heading into a Tri-Nations Test against the All Blacks at Eden Park, wouldn't it?
O'Neill places a lot of emphasis on the working relationship between the ARU chief, Wallabies coach and captain.
There is no doubt that the more harmonious and co-operative this relationship is, the better it is for the Wallabies and Australian rugby.
But the Wallabies do not follow John O'Neill or any other member of the ARU's senior management into battle on the field.
They follow Stirling Mortlock. The players must know he is one of them.
The Wallabies captain is not part of ARU management. As O'Neill once pointed out to Gregan, the captaincy is a privilege. It is not part of the player's contract. As such, the captaincy can be taken away from a player at any time.
One would hope that Mortlock's support of his troops would not jeopardise his leadership.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...016959,00.html