• Winger failed to appear in Melbourne court
• Player was involved in first Lions Test
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Australia rugby winger Digby Ioane after his failure to appear in a Melbourne court on an assault charge.
Ioane, who played for the Wallabies in their 23-21 loss to the British and Irish Lions in the first test at Brisbane on Saturday, was scheduled to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday but did not answer his call. A magistrate immediately issued a warrant for the arrest of the 27-year-old, who has played 35 tests for Australia.
"Since being made aware through media reports, ARU has worked expeditiously with Digby Ioane and Victorian Police to attend to this matter," the ARU said in a statement. "Digby will report to Victorian Police and will be issued with a revised court date."
The legal crisis now facing Ioane adds to the turmoil around the Wallabies team which must win the second test at Melbourne on Saturday to level the three-Test series. Australia are already beset by injuries to midfielders Christian Lealiifano, Adam Ashley-Cooper and Pat McCabe.
The incident over which Ioane was charged occurred on 9 March, the day after the Queensland Reds played the Melbourne Rebels in a Super Rugby match in Melbourne.
Ioane wasn't charged at the time by Melbourne police but he was charged on summons on 17 March, when he was in South Africa with the Reds team. He was reportedly with his Wallaby team-mates at a Melbourne hotel on Monday when the case was called.