Wallaby's arm cut in robbery in South Africa

Wallaby prop Taniela Tupou suffered wounds to his arm following a robbery outside the team hotel in Johannesburg last night.

The prop was returning from a dinner just across the road from where the team are posted ahead of next weekend’s Rugby Championship clash with the Springboks.

A Rugby Australia statement reads:

“Last night in Sandton, north of Johannesburg, Wallabies prop Taniela Tupou was the victim of a phone snatch 50 metres from the team hotel.

“Tupou had been with the eight other front-rowers for an organised dinner across the road from the hotel. They were walking back at approximately 9.15pm local time, when a man snatched his mobile phone before running away to get into a waiting vehicle.”

Tupou thought it was one of his teammates. When he realised he didn’t know the person, he gave chase and tried to grab it out of the car and suffered some minor cuts to his arm.

“Local police attended and took statements from all the players and believe it was part of a series of incidents that night. Tupou was the only player involved in the incident.”

They start their five-Test build-up to the World Cup in Japan in September with a Rugby Championship opening round fixture in Johannesburg on July 21 Australian time.

The Wallabies play only one rather than the usual two rounds of Championship games and face New Zealand in a second Bledisloe Cup match and a warm-up Test against Samoa before the World Cup.