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'I haven't run in five months' - Beale eyeing eventual Wallabies return

By AAP
Kurtley Beale poses for a photo during the Wallabies Indigenous Jersey Launch at the Jellurgal Aboriginal Cultural Centre on July 04, 2022 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Kurtley Beale will target a Rugby Championship return for the Wallabies as he battles a hamstring rupture that has kept him off the park for five months.

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The 95-Test veteran made a fleeting visit to camp Wallaby on the Gold Coast on Monday, having returned from a two-year club stint with Racing 92 in France last week.

Beale, 33, met with Wallabies medical staff to discuss a rehabilitation plan and also to model this year’s First Nations jersey that will be worn in the second Test against England in Brisbane on Saturday during NAIDOC week celebrations.

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Wallabies Beale Samu presser

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Wallabies Beale Samu presser

He’s no chance of wearing it on a field any time soon though, revealing he’d be pushing for a return more likely against South Africa or New Zealand in September.

“I’m still out injured. I’ll get a program sorted, checking out some scans today and will rip into some training in Sydney and put my best foot forward later in the year,” Beale said.

“I haven’t run in five months. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind and wasn’t the best finish at Racing, but I’ll make sure I can put my best foot forward.”

Beale was parachuted back into the Wallabies No.15 jersey in the later stages of last year’s Spring Tour after a glut of backline injuries.

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He is no walk-up start at fullback once fit though, even after Tom Banks’ broken arm in Saturday’s first Test victory in Perth.

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Andrew Kellaway was impressive after moving from the wing in that win, while Jordan Petaia has also seen minutes at fullback this season and was solid on the wing in the series-opener.

The Wallabies will wear the First Nations jersey, designed by Dennis Golding, and sing the national anthem in Yugambeh language at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday alongside the Yugambeh Youth Choir.

The Wallabies were the first national side to sing the anthem in First Nations language in 2020 and the first to wear an Indigenous jersey in 2017.

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“As a team, we’re extremely proud to be able to celebrate NAIDOC week by wearing our First Nations jerse y and singing in Uncle’s (Lloyd McDermott, a former Indigenous Wallaby) language on Saturday night in Brisbane,” said Wallabies coach Dave Rennie.

“We put a lot of time into understanding who we play for and who we represent and the privilege to play for Australia isn’t lost on us.”

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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