Hardly a fitting toast to jumper

Press, 25 July 1989, Page 3

Hardly a fitting toast to jumper

By

JOHN COFFEY

It was not victory champagne clutched in Mai Meninga’s hand as he waited for his Australian rugby league captain, Wally Lewis, to bungeejump from the Mount Smart Stadium grandstand roof in Auckland on Sunday evening. Nor was his New Zealand opponent, Sam Stewart, toasting Australia’s win as he stood alongside Meninga on the athletics track to be used for the 1990 Commonwealth Games. While most of their teammates were relaxing at the after-match function across the

stadium, Meninga and Stewart were still providing urine samples for drug testing. Stewart’s marble had been drawn for the second time in the three-match series. A non-drinker, Stewart was not able to fulfil his obligation ■ until 7.30 p.m. last Sunday. “After a few cans of fizzy drink the poor bloke was burping but not getting very far,” said one of the drug-testing officials. “They are not allowed to drink anything that has not been sealed — tap water is out — and we had showers running

and were flushing toilets trying to get him going.” By one count, another Kiwi forward, James Goulding, swallowed the contents of 11 beer cans before coming up with a satisfactory sample after the second test at Rotorua.

Meninga’s problem differed from that of the teetotaller, Stewart. The big Australian utility is known in the trade as a “sweater,” and required copious quantities of liquid to replace that lost in the match. Because the players are cautioned not to allow the samples out of their sights, and have to

assist in the packaging before the samples are dispatched to North America for testing, they had to take them along when they went out to watch Lewis’ leap.

Drug testing was introduced to international rugby league last year — before the Olympic Games scandal in Seoul — with two players from each side having their numbers drawn by lot. It has also been done in Sydney club football for several years.

All tests have proved negative.