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WALLABY young gun Quade Cooper has been fined $10,000 by the Australian Rugby Union for breaking the window of a taxi in a skylarking incident outside a Brisbane nightclub last month.
An ARU inquiry conducted by high performance unit manager David Nucifora found Cooper had accidentally broken the back passenger's side window of a taxi in a wrestling incident with a friend gone wrong.
No police charges were laid and Cooper paid for the repair of the window.
The incident was Cooper's third strike off-the-field in five weeks, leading the ARU to slap him with the fine for bringing the game into disrepute.
"I'm disappointed in myself, there are standards to uphold as a Wallaby and there are no excuses for what happened,'' Cooper said through an ARU spokesman. "I've apologised to the taxi driver and I've just got to look forward now and concentrate on my footy.''
The Sunday Telegraph revealed two weeks ago that the ARU had received a complaint against Cooper from a member of the general public over an incident outside Friday's nightclub in Brisbane last month.
The taxi incident is believed to have occurred on the same night.
On the night in question, Cooper was not in camp with the Wallabies and had gone out drinking with friends.
The complaint from the member of the general public related to Cooper and a group of friends yelling abuse and spitting.
The problem occurred when a member of the public was refused entry to the nightclub and was then allegedly heckled by Cooper and his friends.
When the patron responded by swearing at the group, it is alleged he was spat on. The group then quickly ushered Cooper from the scene.
In June, Cooper was fined by the ARU for his role in a hotel-room food fight with Wallaby team-mates James O'Connor and Josh Valentine.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/spo...-1225757055575