Tuesday 28 October 2014 10:04, UK
Scrum-half Nick Phipps insists the Australia squad is not full of sexists as the fall-out over the Kurtley Beale affair continues to dog their autumn tour.
Beale was found guilty last week of sending an offensive picture message to Wallabies team business manager Di Patston, who resigned from her role because of the incident, and he was fined nearly £25,000.
The episode has ignited an impassioned debate over sexual harassment and bullying at the ARU, but Phipps rejects the notion that male chauvinism is present among the Wallabies.
"I have noticed a lot of people giving their views on harassment in the workplace," said Phipps ahead of Saturday's tour opener against the Barbarians at Twickenham.
"My mum and sister would kick me in the rear end if they ever thought I was involved.
"It doesn't reflect at all on the playing group. We're fully supportive of women in sport and we always will be.
"If women are good enough to do the job I'd love them to be there. I find it funny that gender is always brought into it.
"I've worked with plenty of senior females in roles in my career, especially down in Melbourne. It really isn't an issue for me."
Beale was omitted from the squad that arrived in England over the weekend for a busy autumn international schedule, but there is a chance he could still fly over for the tour, and that would be welcomed by Phipps.
"We're all about second chances aren't we? He'd be the first to say he made a mistake. That's well documented," Phipps added.
"What he did wasn't right in any way. At the end of the day, who doesn't deserve a chance? It will be great to have him back in the fold.
"I know there are a lot of fans out there who probably aren't happy at the moment, but time heals. Kurtley will always love playing for Australia, especially because he gets on with all the players.
"He has that smiley, cheerful, happy attitude. You just need to see a picture of his smile to know he loves playing for the green and gold."
Watch Australia take on the Barbarians at Twickenham live on Sky Sports 2 HD from 2:00pm on Saturday.
