Rugby: Wallabies forward Lukhan Tui wants break from game after altercation with fan

Wallabies loose forward Lukhan Tui has asked for time away from rugby after the death of his stepfather.

Tui got into a heated confrontation with a crowd member after his side's 23-19 loss at CBus Super Stadium in Queensland last night when, while chatting to friends and family, a fan started to berate him.

Backrower Lukhan Tui was chatting to his family and friends when

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said the fan pushed Tui's sister during the incident, Fox Sports reported.

The 21-year-old then asked to take the rest of the season off, saying he needed time away from the game after the death of his stepfather on Wednesday.

Footage of the incident showed Tui and the fan getting physical with each other - and at one point the player could be seen trying to grab the fan.

Police arrived after Tui's Wallaby teammates Jack Maddocks, Marika Koroibete and Samu Kerevi and a Rugby Australia staffer were forced to step in.

Eventually the fan was led away by the throat by another fan who was present during the scuffle.

The fan who began the verbal tirade allegedly brought children who were nearby to tears, according to News.com.au.

Wallaby player Reece Hodge was being interviewed as the scuffle started, according to Fox Sports, and he said: "It's very disappointing and sad to see our fans like this."

The Wallabies coach addressed the media following Tui's request to leave the season.

Cheika said: "It's one thing being upset with a team... [but] what went down there was the supporter pushed Lukhan's sister.

"Lukhan didn't like that, and that's fair enough."

He said following the death of Tui's stepfather what happened was inappropriate.

He said that while the fan probably didn't know who he was pushing "you shouldn't be pushing a kid in the crowd anyway".

Argentina won the match 23-19. It was Argentina's first win on Australian soil for 35 years and dropped Australia to seventh in the world rankings.