Australian Rugby

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John Connolly: Suing the ARU and John O'Neill for A.1m © Getty Images

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Former Wallabies coach John Connolly is suing the Australian Rugby Union and its chief executive John O'Neill over an allegedly defamatory email sent to officials just before his reign ended.

Connolly claims his reputation was allegedly damaged to the extent of A$350,000, while he is seeking A$750,000 based on alleged limited coaching opportunities since the incident, AAP reported.

According to the court claim, O'Neill emailed top ARU officials after Australia's 2007 World Cup defeat telling them to distance themselves from Connolly, who had O'Neill claimed had leaked information to journalists leading to bad press for Australian rugby.

Connolly hasn't had a coaching job since his Australia contract expired at the end of their 2007 World Cup campaign. His claim said he could not regain employment with the Queensland Reds, who he coached previously, or be considered for the new Melbourne Super 15 franchise.

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