Partying Beale 'stayed sober'
Troubled Wallaby Kurtley Beale stayed sober, despite 'partying' with Wallaby teammate James O'Connor till the early hours of the morning.
The Australian media reported that Beale and O'Connor have been "cleared by team management" after being out until 04.00 on Wednesday.
The pair were photographed with a British and Irish Lions fan in the early hours at a Melbourne Hungry Jack's.
The photograph, which appeared on London's Daily Mail website on Wednesday, shows the pair posing with a Lions supporter in a fast-food outlet in a Melbourne suburb four days before the Wallabies' must-win second Test in Melbourne.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that O'Connor and Beale were among a small group of Rebels and Lions players who had been out at a Melbourne pub after attending the Rebels-Lions match.
A Wallabies spokesman told the Daily Mail the pair were "not consuming alcohol".
"There has been a full and thorough investigation of the information. The two players were out last night, but they were not drinking – 10 witnesses we have spoken to corroborated that," the spokesman said.
"The players went to the Rebels v Lions game with their teammates and after the game they went back to a function at a club, with other Rebels guys. Lions players were there as well. After leaving, they stopped off to pick up some food on the way home and had pictures taken with some fans.
"Both players are adamant that they didn't drink and we have checked that out thoroughly. James O'Connor was driving. They have not broken any team protocols. Today [Wednesday] is a day off for the squad and there were no commitments until late afternoon."
At a media conference on Tuesday, O'Connor said he was jumping out of his skin about the opportunity to hit back against the Lions after the Wallabies' 23-21 loss in Brisbane last weekend.
"I'm taking this game as the biggest one of my life," he said.
"Brisbane was huge, it's an atmosphere I haven't experienced before. I've experienced over in Europe how passionate the crowd is and definitely saw it in the World Cup but that was another level up. I remember running out on the field and I got goosebumps and chills. This game is do or die. We will be up for it. This is our game."
Beale has only just returned to the Test area, after spending two weeks in a rehabilitation clinic to overcome his alcohol addiction.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald
