The issue that burns out of control for the Australian Rugby Union isn't Kurtley Beale. It's the abject lack of faith in coach Ewen McKenzie among the players who will be there after he's gone.

"I can't wait for this season to be over," is the common remark from several disaffected players right now.

Unfortunately, there's a Bledisloe Cup match on Saturday. Then there's a Spring Tour of Europe throughout November, taking on the Barbarians, Wales, France, Ireland and England.

It will stun all concerned if they win any of them. According to various sources within the team, it's that bad.

This season might end in late November, but the World Cup in England already looms large on the horizon. The pool stages will have just concluded this time next year.

If the shambolic state of the Wallabies as it stands is any indication, Australia will struggle to climb out of Pool A - the pool of death because it contains England and Wales - let alone make any impression in the knockout phase.

News Corp published on Monday a series of enlightening texts between Beale and Di Patston concerning a series of group messages between Beale and other players comparing Patston to an obese woman. The messages were accidentally sent to Patston.

As shown by their text conversation, Beale then showed deep remorse, to the point that he was in tears. Patston then said she wouldn't tell McKenzie.

End of story? Not bloody likely.

Many considered the leaking of the messages on Monday as a way to absolve the coach of blame about failing to take action sooner, or at least informing the ARU.

McKenzie has said he didn't know about these "deeply offensive" messages sent between a player and staff member until two weeks ago, when the side was in Buenos Aires.

As anyone who knows of the close relationship between Patston and McKenzie will tell you, this seems highly implausible: in her role, how could she not tell him?

As any sporting administrator worth their salt will tell you, the crime is bad, but the cover up is far worse.

This column has been critical of Beale in the past. The text messages to Patston are tasteless, even if he didn't mean to send them to Patston.

Yet it is evident he's being thrown under the bus as the ARU scrambles, praying for this latest humiliation to disappear.

It is evident that Beale won't face a fair disciplinary hearing, because Patston has resigned and is unlikely to give evidence. McKenzie also seems loath to appear.

It is evident the ARU would rather see Beale leave Australian rugby than stay, which is madness given what he achieved playing for the Waratahs less than three months ago.

Sniff around this story, though, and you quickly learn the problem with the Wallabies isn't Kurtley Beale.

It's Ewen McKenzie.

The Queensland Reds knew about the close relationship between McKenzie and Patston during his tenure from 2010 to 2013, and were grateful to see them go last year even though he secured a Super Rugby title during his time at the franchise.

How was ARU chief executive Bill Pulver not aware of this weird dynamic between the pair, when so many others knew about it?

And how was it allowed to infiltrate the Wallabies, who were trying to repair themselves after the Robbie Deans car crash?

McKenzie angrily denied during an awkward press conference last Friday that he was in an "intimate" relationship with Patston, but whatever they've got going on has been a constant source of speculation among the very highest echelons of Australian rugby for 18 months at least.

And that includes the current players.

What was her brief again?

At the Reds she was known as "Ewen's PA". Since coming into the Wallabies set-up, players say she has assumed the role of "amateur psychologist", questioning their body language and asking about their personal lives. The prying has annoyed them greatly.

In the process, it has eroded their faith in the coach, yet it goes deeper than Patston's role.

When McKenzie was appointed as Deans' replacement last year, it was widely considered to be the right move.

Then he appointed Ben Mowen as captain - an unpopular choice among the players.

When McKenzie last year dropped six players for drinking in Dublin in the lead-up to the Test against Ireland, Mowen escaped sanction even though he'd been drinking that night as well. It went down with some players like a pint of nails.

Tactically, McKenzie is considered a smart coach. In terms of "man management" - and let's face it, it's mostly about man management these days - he's said to struggle.

He's no Michael Cheika, the cranky but respected Waratahs coach who unlocked and nurtured the brilliance of Beale this year and achieved the impossible - a Super Rugby title for NSW.

There are claims that Pulver sounded Cheika out last week about taking over from McKenzie. It's been denied they met for that reason.

There are claims ARU chairman Michael Hawker has been doing the same thing, approaching former Springboks mentor Jake White. That's also been denied.

And there are claims the ARU simply doesn't have the money to sack McKenzie, and that means they will stick with him for another 12 months.

If that's so, we're in for a spectacular ride.

When the Waratahs won the Super Rugby title, many within the Australian rugby family were optimistic about the future of the game. A new dawn and all that malarkey.

Some of us, including this column, were sucked in by the hype. Rugby's back, baby? Maybe not.

The first Bledisloe Cup match at ANZ Stadium in August loomed as a watershed moment. There is no greater tonic for the game than beating the All Blacks.

Then the Wallabies failed to secure the win before the Eden Park massacre destroyed all hope.

Two months on, the Wallabies have become a smouldering, divided mess.

In terms of the big picture, Australian rugby is heading down a very familiar path to football about a decade ago. Those at the ARU who might consider that alarmist are deluding themselves about how dire the situation is becoming.

Soccer required an intervention from the federal government and billionaire Frank Lowy to rescue it.

Who or what will save rugby? It will take more than sacking Kurtley Beale.