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Last Sunday morning, Sydney time, we finally saw Kurtley Beale do what only he can do. Here are some examples: the breathtaking run through traffic from his own 22, the backing up of the Elsom run, the quick thinking and hands for O’Connor’s first try.
The question is why it has taken three seasons in the professional ranks to get it from him.
For those that will say that one swallow doesn’t make a summer and his stellar performance was really only of 40 minutes duration, bear with me.
Firstly, congratulations must go to Robbie Deans for his persistence and vision in bringing this unique talent towards his full potential.
I had the pleasure of watching Kurtley Beale play rugby throughout his secondary school days. He was clearly a prodigy.
He played at 5/8 because it he got the ball in his hands the most there.
There were many conversations with my fellow rugby mates, “experts,” who had also witnessed Beale at school and sat frustrated with me watching his regular bumbling, sluggish performances with the Waratahs.
Explanations included the “indigenous guys are all a bit tubby” or not every prodigy makes it, or where’s his speed gone?, or did everyone else just catch up?
The answer is a combination of the following:
1. In his first year out of school, he went straight into the playmaker role for a senior Super 14 team. Wrong.
2. He was put into this position but didn’t have a backs coach! Even more wrong. He should have had a year in grade, a few Super 14 off the bench games, and then back to grade and at a club that had the coaching resources to mould and advise him.
3. Until Deans came along, he was playing in the wrong position. He is not a 5/8. He does not have the pass or the vision of a Cooper. Beale is a league ball distributor. Mechanical, predictable, just another pair of hands.
4. And now it gets really ugly. In those three years, Beale was never fit! It now appears that he was carrying an unnecessary 7 kgs. This is 7 percent of his body weight!
Look at his frame now. No more rolly polly. The speed is back. The energy is back. The millisecond reaction time is back.
If ever there was an example of how far Australian rugby is off the pace, this is it. And this is why the Waratahs will never win the Super 15 until major changes are made.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.