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A new Emerging Wallabies fullback has to be found after Australian
under-21 representative Nathan Turner withdrew from the tour yesterday,
announcing he had signed with the South Queensland Crushers rugby league team.
The Brisbane-based Turner refused to sign an Emerging Wallaby tour
agreement, which includes a clause asking all players to state whether they
would be available for 1995 World Cup selection.
If any player turns to league after the tour, they are liable to reimburse
the Australian Rugby Football Union for all tour expenses.
At a meeting of the Queensland Emerging Wallaby squad members in Brisbane
yesterday, Turner, 20, was asked to declare his intention of playing rugby next
season. He immediately withdrew from the squad, and announced he was switching
codes, signing with the Crushers for two years.
"Once I had made up my mind to play rugby league, I was never going to
take the Emerging Wallabies trip, as effectively it did not belong to me,"
Turner said yesterday.
Turner has also been ruled ineligible to play for his club, Sunnybank, in
this weekend's Brisbane union semi-finals.
Turner's replacement for the six-match tour through Zimbabwe, Namibia and
South Africa will be announced later this week, with ACT's Rodney Kafer or
Randwick's Paul Horton the most likely choices.
* Wallaby winger David Campese reverts to his old position of fullback
for the French Barbarians against the original Barbarians in Paris tonight .
Campese played 16 Tests at fullback before becoming the most prolific
try-scorer in history with his explosive finishing on the wing.
Another Australian great, recently retired halfback Nick Farr-Jones, joins
Campese and 13 Frenchmen of varying vintages, including the only man to surpass
100 caps, Philippe Sella.
PAGE 59: Gordon grant O'Neill his final wish.
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