Tuqiri: I'll prove the ARU wrong February 07, 2010
Fiji-born former Wallaby Lote Tuqiri says he looks forward to the chance to prove the Australian Rugby Union wrong for sacking him.
Tuqiri, 30, who returns to rugby league after seven years playing rugby union, told the Courier Mail he wants to show the ARU it made a mistake in terminating his contract last July.
"Now I'm in a position to do that," said Tuqiri, joins Australian club Wests Tigers from April was reportedly fired for breaking strict team rules by taking a woman to his Wallabies hotel room.
He sued the ARU and subsequently settled after receiving a healthy payout although confidentiality clauses mean he can’t comment on it.
"That will be up to me. Hopefully, I can prove those people wrong. I don't know if that's what I'm doing it for, but it will certainly be going on there subconsciously."
"I don't feel that I'm done with yet, that's the main thing," he said. "I've still got plenty to offer, and that's why I want to test myself in a top-class competition that is the NRL.
"That's not having a dig at rugby. I love the game. You could be bitter, but I made a lot of good friendships there and I'm quite tight with a lot of boys. It's a great game. It's just sad I won't be playing it."
Tuqiri is currently playing in Leicester, where he has been for three months.
"I've always been a bloke who takes on the positives rather than the negatives. But there was a lot of negativity around me.
"You walk down the street and people were still patting you on the back and saying things were going to be all right - but I wasn't playing any footy. That was the tough thing about it.
"It was quite tough. I've got a good family and a good wife who put up with me being home a fair bit. Which is good. In that sense, it's all about being positive. I've certainly enjoyed being around my two boys a fair bit more in that time."