‘I haven’t run in five months,’ Beale said, hinting at a potential return to the Wallabies.
‘I haven’t run in five months,’ Beale said, hinting at a potential return to the Wallabies. As he fights a hamstring tear that has kept him off the field for five months, Wallabies center Kurtley Beale is aiming for a Rugby Championship comeback. The 95-Test veteran paid a quick stop by camp Wallaby on the Gold Coast on Monday after arriving back last week following a two-year club stay with Racing 92 in France.
Beale, 33, met with the Wallabies medical team to establish a recovery plan and to pose for pictures wearing the 2018 First Nations jersey, which will be worn in the second Test against England in Brisbane on Saturday as part of NAIDOC week festivities. He admitted that he had no chance of wearing it on a field anytime soon and that he will likely try for a return in September, most likely against South Africa or New Zealand.
‘I’m still out with an injury. I’ll put together a plan after seeing some scans today, start working out hard in Sydney, and give it my all later this year,” Beale said. In the past five months, I haven’t run. Beale was inserted back into the Wallaby’s No.15 jersey in the closing stages of last year’s Spring Tour after a deluge of backline injuries. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind and wasn’t the finest end at Racing, but I’ll make sure I can put my best foot forward.’
Even after Tom Banks injured his arm during Saturday’s triumph in the first Test in Perth, he is not a walk-up fullback starter once healthy. In that victory, Andrew Kellaway performed admirably after switching from the flank, while Jordan Petaia, who has also played at fullback this year, performed admirably on the wing in the series opener. The Yugambeh Youth Choir and the Wallabies will perform the national anthem at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday while donning the Dennis Golding-designed First Nations jersey.
The Wallabies became the first team to wear an Indigenous shirt in 2017 and the first to sing the national anthem in a First Nations language in 2020. ‘As a team, we’re incredibly happy to be able to celebrate NAIDOC week by donning our First Nations shirts and singing in Uncle’s (Lloyd McDermott, a former Indigenous Wallaby) language on Saturday night in Brisbane,’ said Wallabies coach Dave Rennie. ‘The privilege of playing for Australia isn’t lost on us because we spend a lot of time considering who we play for and who we represent.’