Beale sends warning to All Blacks ahead of Bledisloe Cup clash
SPOTLIGHT: With no certainty to take on the All Blacks in the Bledisloe Cup clash in Melbourne on Thursday, Wallabies veteran Kurtley Beale says he will be ready if he gets the opportunity.
The 33-year-old rejoined the squad for the Cup campaign, which opens at Marvel Stadium before a return clash at Eden Park on September 24, with Australia looking to wrest back the trans-Tasman trophy for the first time in 19 years.
The matches also count toward the Rugby Championship, with the Wallabies on nine points and New Zealand on top with 10 points..
The Wallabies are coming off an ugly 8-24 loss to South Africa in Sydney, out-muscled up front by the world champions while New Zealand returned to their winning ways with a 50-point win over Argentina.
Making his Test debut in 2009, Beale said the “burn” to win the Bledisloe still remained.
“Absolutely and we feel that we can get the job down,” he said.
“We’ve got to respect the ABs – they’re a great team – but we have to go out with full belief.
“After South Africa there’s been a lot of constructive criticism and harsh conversations but they’re ones that will allow us to make sure we have our own backyard sorted to bounce back.”
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Beale spent around six months out after suffering a freak injury in February while playing for French club Racing 92 when he ruptured his semitendinosus, one of three muscles that make up the hamstring.
After a long rehabilitation, the 95-Test veteran says he’s back to “top speed” and is raring to go.
“I’m feeling good and am back to top speed now and feel ready; I’m really excited to be back with the group,” said Beale, who has rejoined the Waratahs.
“I feel ready now and if given an opportunity I’ll make sure that I put my best foot forward but if not, then I’ll just keep grinding away helping around the team and make the 23 who are selected are ready to go.
“I’m keen to rub off on my experience on the group and try to help out the guys as much as I can to get the results we want.”
Playing fullback at the 2019 World Cup, Beale’s international career appeared over until he answered a SOS from Wallabies coach Dave Rennie and came off the bench against Scotland on the spring tour.
He said he wasn’t sure how Rennie planned to use him but he’d mostly played at 12 and 10 with his Top League team.
“I guess my versatility helps me … but I think in this group it will be in the outside backs, fullback, I’m assuming.
“The key message for me from David is to make sure that I’m sharp – pretty straight and simple.
“He wants me to make sure that I’ve got the speed, the agility that I once had and after a long injury, it’s important that I’m I’m confident in my ability to be able to display that.”
