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Wallabies team business manager Di Patston has quit her role at the Australian Rugby Union today.
Patston has been at the centre of the controversy surrounding a mid-air altercation with Wallaby Kurtley Beale, as well as a subsequent revelation of obscene text messages being distributed by Beale.
There has been increasing speculation regarding the nature of the relationship between Wallabies coach, Ewen McKenzie and Patston.
On Friday, McKenzie denied a relationship, stating:
“I’ve got a professional relationship with her. And I refute [suggestions of an intimate relationship]. There are people out there and that there’s some sort of campaign to impugn that’s [not] the situation”.
“I don’t employ off LinkedIn. She has a very strong background. She is HR trained. She is a resource.
“I don’t believe her appointment has caused angst.
“I don’t make any apologies for trying to assemble people around me to get the job done.
“I don’t think I have a divided camp.”
Ms Patston was on indefinite stress leave before her resignation due to the incidents in Wallabies camp in the past weeks.
Georgina Robinson of the Sydney Morning Herald has reported a growing discontent among Wallabies players around Ms Patston’s role in the team.
McKenzie strongly denied any sense she was unqualified for the position.
Georgina Robinson has also reported Ewen McKenzie may have known about the alleged texts concerning Di Patston ‘months ago.’
Isaac Moses, Beale’s manager, told Robinson that McKenzie had a conversation about the text messages ‘addressing them,’ in June. This is at the time of the incidents.
When told what Moses has alleged, McKenzie, through an ARU spokesman, said he stood by his statement on Friday.
Whether this is the first of several to depart Australian Rugby Union will be played out in the coming days, with Beale’s code of conduct tribunal expected to sit early next week.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.