Kurtley Beale’s recent omission from the Wallabies side to face Argentina is the last thing the team needed following a demoralising loss to the Springboks.
It is understood that Beale and Wallabies business manager Di Patston engaged in a verbal altercation during the team’s 15-hour flight to Sao Paulo from Johannesburg, an unwelcome distraction for a Wallabies team looking to bounce back against Argentina.
Patston reportedly requested Beale change his t-shirt into another piece of Wallabies gear, however after a sarcastic comment from Beale, the pair then exchanged heated words on the plane as teammates and staff attempted to calm things down.
After the altercation, Patston returned to Sydney just two days after the team landed in Mendoza, Argentina adding speculation to the idea that Beale's omission from the squad was not just down to Ewen McKenzie’s team tactics.
Beale is currently under investigation by the ARU regarding the mid-flight argument, an incident that is only adding to the visible cracks in the Wallabies squad.
ARU integrity officer Phil Thomson will determine the outcome of the investigation by the end of next week, where Beale will learn his fate.
The playmaker's future with the Wallabies remains uncertain after a string of off-field incidents last year nearly had him dumped but his then-club the Melbourne Rebels and the Wallabies.
Ewen McKenzie’s team face an improving Pumas outfit who will no doubt smell blood with the Wallabies patchy form and off-field distractions leaving them ripe for the picking.
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