Kurtley Beale to tackle Boks for Wallabies?
A former All Blacks rugby player backs playmaker Kurtley Beale, who was cleared of sexual assault charges, to play for Australia again.
Mils Muliaina is backing veteran playmaker Kurtley Beale to reclaim his Wallabies spot after starring for the Force on his return to professional rugby this season.
Beale resumed his career with the Perth-based Super Rugby side in April after being cleared of sexual assault two months earlier, allegations he always denied.
He was arrested in January 2023 and suspended from all forms of the game, missing out on playing at a fourth Rugby World Cup.
Beale, who has been capped 95 times, has already spoken with new Australia head coach Joe Schmidt, and quoted by Wide World of Sports, Muliaina believes the 35-year-old is a ‘fantastic’ asset to any team.
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“He’s fantastic,” the former All Blacks star said. “What he’s done is actually brought a little bit of that flair and understanding [at the Force] of ‘hey, we’ve got to have a go here’.
“There’s no use having a backline that is going to just kick the ball back and defend. But they’ve also got a balance in terms of their ability to be able to kick and be steady.
“What we have noticed is the real maturity about that backline and perhaps that’s [Ben] Donaldson as well, having Kurtley’s influence there, but the morale of the group as well.
“Higher honours? Absolutely. I know there’s a lot of guys in competition but why wouldn’t you have Kurtley in the Wallabies squad? Someone of his experience to bring these guys through and nurture them.”
The Springboks kick off their 2024 Rugby Championship against the Wallabies in Perth and Brisbane, on August 10 and 17 respectively.
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