Kurtley Beale makes Wallabies decision after Joe Schmidt chat

Veteran utility back Kurtley Beale said he is hoping to make a return to the international arena with the Wallabies after resuming his career with the Western Force recently.

The Perth-based outfit announced at the weekend that they had acquired Beale’s services on a short-term contract until the conclusion of their Super Rugby Pacific campaign.

This, after the 35-year-old was recently found not guilty of raping a woman in the toilets of a Sydney bar in December 2022.

Lengthy stint on the sidelines

Due to his involvement in that court case, Beale spent 14 months out of action as he was suspended from playing the game, which meant he missed out on representing Australia at a fourth Rugby World Cup.

Last month, he returned to action for Sydney club side Randwick where he played three matches under the guidance of former Wallabies back-row Stephen Hoiles, who is their head coach.

Beale said he was training while under suspension and believes he can still add value as a player.

“I feel like I’ve got a lot to add to the game,” the 95-Test Wallaby told AFP. “I had a year off last year and it was a great opportunity to really focus on my physical being, my mental well-being.

“I trained all that time for this moment now and again I’m very thankful for the opportunity here and I’m just really excited for the challenge ahead.

‘He makes people around him better’ – ex-Wallabies back Kurtley Beale to help struggling Force

“I’m hoping that I’ll be able to kind of go back to the level playing that I’m used to and hopefully progress, keep growing as a player.”

Beale revealed that he has had a conversation with new Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt.

“I had one brief chat. Look, he’s got a busy job at the moment in terms of settling in himself,” he said.

“But basically he just wanted to see me play some rugby… hopefully I’ll be able to put in some consistent performances for the selectors to be able to look at.”

Schmidt will start his coaching tenure with the Wallabies in July when they face Wales in a two-Test series in Australia before also hosting Georgia later that month.

Force struggling in Super Rugby Pacific

Beale will have to hit the ground running at the Force, who are currently languishing at the bottom of the Super Rugby Pacific table with just five points amassed from seven matches of which six ended in defeat.

They have a bye this week but the Wallaby is expected to make his debut for the team when they host the Crusaders in a Round Nine clash in Perth next week.

“Quite a young group, young guys aspiring to be rugby players over here who don’t really get that much opportunity to interact with international players,” he said of the Force.

“I guess part of my job being here is also helping those young guys come through and help them with the little areas of their game to be able to take it to the next level, and I’m really excited about that.”

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