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FORMER Test skipper Nathan Sharpe says Wallabies players have been disappointed by the behaviour of the wayward teammate James O'Connor for "a long time" and a line in the sand must now be drawn with team-driven punishment.
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Sharpe delivered a stinging insider's appraisal of O'Connor's ongoing discipline issues as the ARU launched a full investigation into the incident at Perth airport on Sunday, where the 23-year-old was denied access to a flight for being drunk and was escorted out by police.
O'Connor will be interviewed by ARU Integrity Unit boss Phil Thomson on Friday, after he spent Thursday compiling facts from the Australian Federal Police and Air Asia. The ARU were first made aware of the incident on Sunday, but team manager Bob Egerton conducted an initial inquiry.
The ARU could give no sense of when the investigation might be complete, but there are potential time constraints given the Wallabies fly out for Africa and Argentina on Monday.
Sharpe said while he was not aware of the specifics of the Perth airport matter, it fitted a pattern of misbehaviour that had emerged long ago.
"I don't know what went on in this incident, and whether there was alcohol involved or there wasn't, but there has just been too many," Sharpe said.
"The messages aren't getting through. It's very disappointing, because those sort of issues had been flagged previously."
Sharpe was O'Connor's first captain at Western Force when the teenager first arrived in Perth, and played alongside him at Wallabies level for several years.
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The respected veteran was also on the Wallabies coaching staff during the recent Lions series, when O'Connor's infamous burger bar episode – and other misdemeanours – infuriated teammates.
"I am all for accepting a person makes a mistake here or there, but it's just been too consistent, and that's probably something James has to look at," Sharpe said.
"At the end of the day, it's not all about what he does on the field. It is about how he respects his teammates."
Asked if teammates were upset with O'Connor, Sharpe said: "Yeah, they are. They all are. I don't know if it will be said publicly but I know having been alongside most of those guys, they were disappointed a long time ago."
"And at the end of the day, he's in a pretty precarious position," Sharpe said.
"I don't think fining him or whatever will work, I think the playing group need to stand up and decide what is best for the team, and make a decision with the coaching staff, and then follow through with it,
"They have to act for the best interests of the team, and let it be known what will be tolerated and what won't be tolerated. They need to come up with the course of action."
Sharpe said O'Connor had boundless capacity to be a strong contributor to the Wallabies but had to ensure his behaviour didn't take him past a point of no return.
"His capabilities in terms of his ability on the field, but also his intelligence, they run deep in his make-up," Sharpe said.
"The worst thing he could do is lose the group. If he loses the group, he'll never come back."
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