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Kurtley Beale to reportedly move to Wasps on big-money deal

Kurtley Beale. Supersub. (Photo: Paul Barkley/LookPro)
12th May, 2016
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Kurtley Beale will reportedly become the highest-paid player in England next year, having signed a deal with Wasps worth almost $1.5 million a season.

Beale will leave the Waratahs after months of speculation and head to Coventry for two seasons, leaving the door open to a possible return to Australia for Super Rugby before the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Under Australian Rugby’s new eligibility laws, Beale will still be able to play in every Wallabies Test match, having played nine full seasons of Super Rugby and 60 games for Australia. He’s expected to add to that tally this season, considering his current form for the Waratahs at inside centre.

More recently, the deal was being put under the microscope, with two other prominent players, Quade Cooper and Leigh Halfpenny also looked at as options for English clubs, but the Daily Telegraph has the scoop that Beale has signed and will be making the move.

Beale’s deal puts him right up there in the money list for rugby players, and considering his age and form line, it’s not entirely undeserving.

He will be the best-paid of any player in the English Premiership, and his salary will come close to that of Matt Giteau and Leigh Halfpenny, both of whom are on big money on the continent.

It probably comes nowhere near Dan Carter’s monstrous figure, however, but still places Beale in elite company. It’s a tribute to some of the fantastic rugby he’s played domestically and internationally in the last 24 months.

What it will do the for the Waratahs’ credentials is uncertain. Fullback Andrew Kellaway is developing nicely and Israel Folau playing well at outside centre, so they have plenty of strike available. But Beale has played the role of unleashing the Tahs’ attack, so his absence may put a higher load on Bernard Foley.

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Either way, it appears Kurtley will not be plying his trade domestically for the next two years, so enjoy him while you can.

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