Australia trio out of Bledisloe Cup opener after breaking team rules
Aug 4 (Reuters) - Wallabies winger Marika Koroibete, number eight Isi Naisarani and prop Pone Fa'amausili have been dropped from Saturday's Bledisloe Cup opener against the All Blacks after breaking a team curfew over a drinking session, coach Dave Rennie said.
The trio continued to drink alcohol for more than two hours after a curfew following a team bonding session at their Auckland hotel last weekend.
Coach Rennie said the three players had taken alcohol from the team room and that a senior player had alerted the team manager about the incident.
"We've got a big squad here - 42 players. Thirty-nine understood the importance of getting together... and having a quiet beer and three guys lacked the discipline beyond that," Rennie said on Wednesday.
"It's not so much (about being) intoxicated. It was the fact that they continued drinking well beyond the time that was listed.
"We've stated the importance of our preparation for the All Blacks... This obviously didn't fit with their mindset so (we're) incredibly disappointed and, to be honest, there's a big chunk of that group who are pretty angry."
Rennie said he was confident the incident will not affect the Wallabies' performance on Saturday as they strive to break a 35-year drought at Eden Park.
"It won't have a detrimental effect on performance," Rennie said. "If anything, it'll galvanise us.
"It's a frustration for me personally because we've wasted a lot of time dealing with the players."
The second game of the three-match series will also be played at Eden Park, on Aug. 14, followed by the final meeting at the Perth Stadium on Aug. 28. (Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
