Tune arrives in SA
August 14, 2002

A tired Ben Tune finally arrived in South Africa to prepare for Saturday's Tri-Nations decider between the Wallabies and the Springboks.

An independent three-man drugs tribunal on Monday night cleared the 25-year-old of deliberately using a banned diuretic, probenicid.

They agreed that he had broken the game's laws but elected not to ban him, stating that he had been prescribed it for therapeutic reasons.

Following the verdict, the Queensland winger boarded a flight to Durban on Tuesday morning, days after the rest of the squad arrived in South Africa.

"As far as I am concerned the matter has been dealt with and dealt with fairly and properly so hopefully that will be the end of it," Tune said before his flight.

"They (South Africans) have done their best at stirring a few things up and I guess they will use the situation to the best of their advantage."

However, the head of the South African Rugby Football Union's medical department called for tune to be suspended.

Dr. Ishmael Jakoet said: "The ARU has admitted that a doping offense was committed. The player must be suspended immediately."

"There is no alternative action in the regulations, and certainly not one such as the ARU has taken. If he wins an appeal, then so be it, but the appeal process needs to be undertaken, not bypassed."

The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) responded on Wednesday and said that Jakoet should disqualify himself from an International Rugby Board anti-doping committee.

"He has incited members of an IRB committee to pass judgment on Ben Tune without any form of process," said managing director John O'Neill.

"Mr. Jakoet clearly must conflict himself out of any review process by the IRB. It is quite extraordinary that someone who has been on this committee for three years would make inflammatory public statements and in doing so, display such a fundamental lack of understanding of the IRB's anti-doping regulations."

"These matters must be dealt with by our own regulations and very importantly, in accordance with our national law," said O'Neill. "The IRB regulations permit national unions to have regulations which vary from those of the IRB.

"The ARU's anti-doping regulations provide for a two-year ban for a first offense. However, our regulations give the tribunal discretion because a mandatory two-year ban in certain circumstances is not sustainable in the Australian legal environment.

"In the case of Ben Tune, the ARU drug tribunal found the drug was administered for therapeutic use only and it was satisfied it was not used for the purpose of enhancing performance. The tribunal quite rightly exercised its discretion in this case."

Tune is fully aware that he could face a furore on foreign soil, although his arrival at Durban airport was mostly unnoticed.

Meanwhile, both the Wallaby and Springbok camps will train behind closed doors today as they continue their preparations for the Ellis Park clash.

Wallaby coach Eddie Jones said the IRB's intentions were unclear and he would continue to name Tune until told otherwise.

"I don't quite understand the statement and the process they're looking to put in place so I imagine we'll get clear instruction from them in the next few days," he said.

Tune has maintained a brave front since the matter was made public last month, despite facing a possible two-year ban.

But Jones said it had affected the Queenslander because such a ban would spell the end of his injury-ravaged career.

"Obviously this case has been weighing heavily on him and he'll come over here a relieved fellow," Jones said.

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