Tune faces possible two-year drug ban

Ben Tune is to face an Australian Rugby Union tribunal into the drugs allegations against him.

The hearing will take place on Monday week, two days after the Bledisloe Cup and Tri-Nations match against New Zealand in Sydney.

The ARU's decision to hold a full-blown hearing follows discussions with the International Rugby Board and could lead to a two-year suspension for the Queensland winger. The investigating committee will comprise of a QC, a former international player and a medical expert.

The ARU managing director, John O'Neill, who earlier this week tried to persuade the IRB to forget the whole matter, said yesterday: "The ARU decision to proceed with a full-blown hearing follows discussions with the IRB and is also in line with the game's anti-doping procedures."

Tune, who was administered the banned substance probenecid in March last year to aid his recovery from an infected knee, played two Super 12 matches with the drug still in his system though he was then withdrawn from Queensland's next four games.

Tune will play in today's Tri-Nations game against South Africa in Brisbane – a match now charged with ill-feeling because of the Springboks' attitude to the affair.