Horwill, Beale out of June rugby Tests
Wallabies captain James Horwill and backline star Kurtley Beale have both been ruled out of Australia’s four June Tests because of injuries suffered in Super Rugby at the weekend.
Lock Horwill damaged his hamstring during the Queensland Reds’ win over the Brumbies and scans have revealed a muscle tear which will keep him out of the one-off Test against Scotland and subsequent three-Test series with Wales.
Beale hurt his shoulder as the Melbourne Rebels fell to a heavy loss against the Hurricanes just hours earlier and his scans showed he would also play no part in the June home Tests.
Beale had been favoured to start the Tests in the five-eighth role for the Wallabies as regular No.10 Quade Cooper continues to work his way back from injury.
Instead he is headed for surgery.
“Kurtley had an appointment this morning with a specialist. He’s going to require an operation,” coach Robbie Deans told reporters at the Wallabies training camp in Sydney.
The full extent of the damage to his shoulder wouldn’t be known until the surgery.
“But the fact that he needs an operation is indicative of the fact that it is serious and it will rule him out of the June (Test) window.”
Deans isn’t ready to announce his replacement captain in the absence of lock Horwill.
However, breakaway star David Pocock will be strongly favoured for the role in all four Tests, having already been tipped to captain the Wallabies in the Scotland Test in Newcastle on Tuesday week.
Halfback Will Genia is the other obvious contender.
Deans revealed Horwill’s injury wasn’t as bad as the coach initially feared when he saw the Reds skipper’s leg hyper-extended when trapped at a breakdown.
“James, we are presuming, is out for the whole of June but it is not as bad as it first looked. It looked pretty sinister,” said Deans.
© AAP 2013The Crowd Says (27) | Page 1 of Comments
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May 28th 2012 @ 12:36pm
Jutsy said | May 28th 2012 @ 12:36pm | Report comment
Bloody hell not beale!
May 28th 2012 @ 1:09pm
Albo said | May 28th 2012 @ 1:09pm | Report comment
It’s a shame because I would have really liked to see if Beale could step it up a notch as an international 10.
However for those who wanted Beale to stay at 15 this will force Deans hand to bring Cooper back earlier thus not experimenting. Horwill has ample replacements at this stage which is good.
May 28th 2012 @ 3:21pm
Jutsy said | May 28th 2012 @ 3:21pm | Report comment
The cupboard is really bare at 5/8 its either a rusty cooper or a gun shy barnes.
May 28th 2012 @ 3:40pm
bluerose said | May 28th 2012 @ 3:40pm | Report comment
or Gits………..lol. Deans gonna have lots of sleepless nights over the next 2weeks
May 28th 2012 @ 3:49pm
Jutsy said | May 28th 2012 @ 3:49pm | Report comment
I hope we’re not that desparate to send a sos to toulon
May 28th 2012 @ 7:10pm
nickoldschool said | May 28th 2012 @ 7:10pm | Report comment
Giteau sent Toulon to the semis this w-e so he wont be available for another week (or 2) anyway! I think he is blossoming out there!
May 28th 2012 @ 7:34pm
Jutsy said | May 28th 2012 @ 7:34pm | Report comment
blossoming frans steyn style? too much red wine and bread lol
May 29th 2012 @ 8:06am
Albo said | May 29th 2012 @ 8:06am | Report comment
Looks like Barnes is injured anyway which just leaves a rusty tin with the label missing.
Is it sliced peaches or Cooper a la mode?
May 28th 2012 @ 1:57pm
formeropenside said | May 28th 2012 @ 1:57pm | Report comment
So no call up for Ben Lucas, and yet B. Foley has somehow been called up out of a losing team?
May 28th 2012 @ 2:55pm
jameswm said | May 28th 2012 @ 2:55pm | Report comment
fos just because one team is higher on the table does not mean every player on that team is better than every player on the other team.
The Tahs have had 4-5 very tight and usually unlucky losses – and things would be a lot different for both if Shipperley didn’t score that try. Momentum’s a wonderful thing.
May 28th 2012 @ 3:20pm
Jutsy said | May 28th 2012 @ 3:20pm | Report comment
Wholeheartedly agree with you james, this was one of the mistakes deans made last year, thought the reds success would transfer to the test arena and not only selected too many reds players but also copied their tactics too much.
FOS its been reported that lucas is still battling to recover from his injuries and this uncertainty is the reason he wasn’t picked, being a reds supporter you should know when your players are injured.
May 28th 2012 @ 3:34pm
formeropenside said | May 28th 2012 @ 3:34pm | Report comment
I imagine Lucas would be right for the Wales games.
Deans problem was not enough Reds, too many Tahs, picking players out of position, and no back up 7.
Nice to see he is already repeating some of his mistakes in 2012.
May 28th 2012 @ 3:38pm
Jutsy said | May 28th 2012 @ 3:38pm | Report comment
So your saying simmons, samo and a. faiinga were the best aussie players in their positions last year?
May 28th 2012 @ 5:50pm
sittingbison said | May 28th 2012 @ 5:50pm | Report comment
no, but he played them out of position hehe %)
May 28th 2012 @ 3:30pm
Justin2 said | May 28th 2012 @ 3:30pm | Report comment
I think Lucas maybe not considered due to injury FOS.
May 28th 2012 @ 3:45pm
bluerose said | May 28th 2012 @ 3:45pm | Report comment
i gonna select Nathan Sharpe and Kane Douglass against the Scots with either Simmons/Timani/Neville or Pyle on the bench, if the coaches are thinking about power scrums Douglass/Timani would be my 1st choice and will have alot of height in the lineouts, if they are looking for lineout dominance then Pyle/Simmons would be my choice but will lack power in the scrums, if they are looking for power scrums/lineout dominance and superior workrate then we are screwed………..not in player depth but in experience.
May 28th 2012 @ 6:14pm
Behold said | May 28th 2012 @ 6:14pm | Report comment
Deans has picked an entire starting team of Force and Reds players in his squad expect all of them to be starting against scotland. Including QC at fly-half.
May 28th 2012 @ 3:56pm
Morgan said | May 28th 2012 @ 3:56pm | Report comment
Surely Nathan Sharpe must be selected for one of the lock positions. Apart from being equally impressive as other Australian locks this Super 15 season, he brings some actual experience to a team otherwise lacking in caps.
May 28th 2012 @ 4:05pm
Johnno said | May 28th 2012 @ 4:05pm | Report comment
No Tom Kingston.
May 28th 2012 @ 5:20pm
Wales15 said | May 28th 2012 @ 5:20pm | Report comment
It keeps getting better and better. Digby Ioane, or Genia next please?
Seriously though hopefully he fully recovers. He is such a good player.
May 28th 2012 @ 5:49pm
RebelRanger said | May 28th 2012 @ 5:49pm | Report comment
A repeat of Manu Samoas win please.
May 29th 2012 @ 12:42am
Katipo said | May 29th 2012 @ 12:42am | Report comment
This make Wales clear favourites for the series win then? Wales have seldom had so much stacked in their favour. Wales have lost to the Wallabies last few starts so the pressure goes on to their coaching team to deliver a SH scalp to go along with their Six Nations title. Wallabies will be happy to be under dogs though. I’ll watch with interest as this 3 match series unfolds. I predict Australia to get up 2 games to 1.
May 29th 2012 @ 1:23am
Ben S said | May 29th 2012 @ 1:23am | Report comment
Australia will be heavy favourites with the bookmakers. Every Test side has injuries.
May 29th 2012 @ 9:59pm
Wales15 said | May 29th 2012 @ 9:59pm | Report comment
If I bet (which I don’t, it’s a fools game) I’d put my money on Wales.
May 29th 2012 @ 2:52am
Pot Hale said | May 29th 2012 @ 2:52am | Report comment
So you haven’t looked at the Welsh injury list then? Starting with their coach.
The Wallabies playing a three test series at home against a team they’ve beaten in their last 8 or 9 matches and are ranked no. 2 in the world are going to start as favourites no matter what.
May 29th 2012 @ 5:35am
Damo said | May 29th 2012 @ 5:35am | Report comment
Aw Pots don’t flatter us. You know it’ll go to our heads.
May 29th 2012 @ 6:36pm
Pot Hale said | May 29th 2012 @ 6:36pm | Report comment
That aint flattery. I was only tickling your chin….