24 Nov 2018

Castle backs Wallabies' axings

7:38 pm on 24 November 2018

Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle has backed the decision to stand down Kurtley Beale and Adam Ashley-Cooper for the Wallabies' Test against England at Twickenham.

Michael Cheika

Michael Cheika Photo: Photosport

The duo were stood down from the game on Sunday (NZ time) after the Wallabies leadership group, led by skipper Michael Hooper, alerted coach Michael Cheika on Tuesday about a breach of team protocol at the squad's hotel in Cardiff earlier this month.

The incident happened after the 9-6 loss to Wales.

The two players were having drinks in the hotel bar with Ashley-Cooper's sister-in-law and two of her friends.

The five then went to the players' room to order some food before the women departed by midnight.

Although the incident is being treated as minor breach by Cheika, team rules stipulate that guests are not permitted into the rooms of players.

Neither player has been fined and remained with the squad in London.

Castle said while she felt some sympathy for them, the correct steps were taken.

"The team has got standards, they put those standards in place for a reason," Castle told reporters in London.

"The two boys have breached those standards and the playing group and Michael came to me and said 'this is what we're recommending on the situation', and I support them in that stance 100 per cent.

"This is a situation where two boys brought some friends and family back into their hotel without thinking of the implications of that, because they were friends and family.

"But once it was pointed out to them that the rule was there for a reason, they recognised that they had erred, and they accepted the team and Michael's position."

The incident is another footnote to a horrendous year for Australian rugby.

Castle will conduct a review of the season which will be completed before Christmas.

She said while Cheika has her support the reasons for a campaign which has returned just four wins from 12 matches must be identified.

"We believe that we've got a head coach who's experienced, that's led a party through a World Cup before," she said.

"There's no doubt, we have got a review to do and we need to look under every cover and make sure we've identified the things that aren't working.

"But we're there shoulder to shoulder and ultimately we're there because we believe that we can be successful at the World Cup."

Castle, who recently marked her first year in the job, said criticism is understandable given Australia open their World Cup campaign in less than 10 months.

However, she refused to rule out the prospect of changes to Cheika's backroom team.

"What a review process is, is making sure we're very honest and every element of the campaign will be reviewed," Castle said.

"Certainly, there's a greater level of curiosity with this one because we're going into a World Cup ... because you only get nine months of change or nine months to make any changes.

"In reality you've only got six weeks to make any changes before you go into that nine-month build up if that's what we identify in the review process."

- AAP