The decision not to tear up Kurtley Beale’s contract has shocked and divided the rugby community judging by comments on various rugby forums, including right here on The Roar.
Thankfully, new coach Michael Cheika had the good sense not to recall the notorious trouble-maker to the Wallabies’ European tour.
Whether it’s because he genuinely wants to give him time to “take a step back and let everything settle down” or whether he realises Beale simply isn’t good enough to displace any incumbents, remains to be seen.
Either way, the ARU has done itself no favours granting the repeat-offender yet another chance.
Friday’s hearing answered zero questions while opening a pandora’s box of new ones. The reality is we’ll never know what really happened in this elongated drama.
We’ll never know who sent the second SMS, we’ll never know if Di Patston’s CV was falsified, we’ll never know if there was something more in her relationship with Link and we’ll only know why Link really resigned if or when he speaks out in his biography.
The only thing we do know as fact is that Kurtley Beale was found guilty of misconduct, again.
The ‘independent’ three-person code of conduct tribunal, which notably contained a RUPA representative and no females, fined Beale $45,000 and allowed him to be made available for selection immediately.
Under the circumstances, and without further evidence provided by Patston or McKenzie, this was probably the right punishment. However, the tribunal was tasked with investigating the SMS incident and issuing a punishment in isolation of Beale’s other indiscretions.
Taken as a whole, the ARU would be very well justified, and indeed would restore some lost integrity, if it were to pass on renewal of Beale’s contract with a public statement to the effect of what is printed below.
“The ARU has taken the decision not to renew Kurtley Beale’s contract on the grounds of ongoing behavioural issues. Our expectation is that all men representing the Wallabies should be exceptional role models, on and off the field. We sincerely hope that Kurtley will demonstrate he can maintain a high level of integrity and respect, and be a positive influence on his teammates. We look forward to welcoming him back to the national team as soon as we feel his is consistently meeting the required standards.”
Dropping Beale from the ARU payroll will free up some much needed cash for them to invest in promotion of the NRC next year, or create some goodwill by refunding $200 each club had to fork out to help fund the competition this year.
Or they could offer Kyle Godwin, Samu Kerevi, Sean McMahon and possibly a few other rookies a small ARU contract to motivate and help develop them to the next level.
In short, there are better ways to spend the money.
Australian rugby has disillusioned many fans over the past few weeks. It’s time to start winning them back.
R2Sydney
Guest
The president of the PGA USA was fired due to his 'lil girl' tweet. Everyone in the golf world agree that attitude is not acceptable. Comparing this incident and its result to the ARU incident is like comparing a developed world to a third world standard. The ARU result is like that Indian official who said the west have different standards when describing the commonwealth game toilets as acceptable. So, Australia is ok being represented by Beale in the international stage? Third world attitude.
Garth
Guest
How many chances should he be allowed? He's already had more than QC & JOC combined. QC & JOC look to have got the message (finally). Beale not so much. It's time his mates stopped protecting him from himself and from blaming others for Beale's misdeeds.
Garth
Guest
And yet very few are willing to forgive JOC, who committed far less heinous offences.
ibika
Guest
talk about a bloody witch hunt.. talk about people who live in glassshouses throwing stones.. unbelievable amount of malice and need to punish people....anybody would think australia was a saints paradise by the carry on.. Kurtley should be given a chance... if thats what he asks for..
grapeseed
Guest
TWAS, just in case you are still around I was only being facetious.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
No. He accepted his guilt of sending an offensive message that could be construed as sexual harassment.
RodMac
Roar Rookie
Mike - One thing: It's been reported on G&GR today that the phone DP was using in June was an ARU phone which she handed back to them as part of a routine upgrade before the team departed for New Zealand in August. If that's true then she obviously couldn't have refused to provide it. http://www.greenandgoldrugby.com/beale-saga-three-simple-questions/
Bruce Dribs
Roar Rookie
Phipps said overnight .... everybody deserves a second chance. I could not agree more. It's the third and fourth and fifth chance that needs more discretion. As it is with KB. I like the hypothesis that KB's contract will not be renewed and dismissal would cause complications. For me he has once again failed the character test. Text #1 was enough for that and even KB supports cannot deny that he was out of line in sending it. If the notice to KB at the last incident was one more strike and you're out then he's out. It's a pretty simple equation for a guy with form.
Bruce Dribs
Roar Rookie
It is valid to question the value of DP's interview in the Australian but you must also be willing to do the same for KB's interviews in other media. I can't recall KB or his spruikers reporting all of the information in his interviews .... that KB had send message #1 on more than one occasion, or that he had actually lied to DP in his tearful, heartfelt apology. DP's interview with The Australian was indeed providing a single and limited perspective, but so too have many of the stories interviewing KB. If it's a fair and truthful account of all of the facts you are seeking then I don't think either side is providing that from their interviews with media, nor is the ARU.
cs
Guest
Get off your sanctimonious high horse niwdEyaJ. For those of us whose main interest is in actually watching the game, taking out one of the most genuinely exciting players because of a dumb prank so that you can uphold an arbitrary standard is tantamount to the ARU shooting itself in the head because one of it's shoelaces is undone. Perspective please.
Mike
Guest
"I’m just going by what Beale has admitted himself. Isn’t that enough substantiation for you?" No you aren't. You've gone a lot further than that. "But Beale’s team did not cross examine her." Yes, because she declined to turn up! Just as she declined to provide her phone to prove her accusation that the second more offensive text was ever actually sent to her. Your defence of Patston's allegations takes twisting to new levels. Everything she says seems to be done in such a way that it can never be questioned or checked. "It shows Beale and a number of Tah players are grubs and don’t deserve to wear gold." Actually, it is starting to show that some fans are grubs and the Australian rugby community would be a lot better off without them.
Mike
Guest
And what if everything said about Patston, McKenzie, Hooper, Pulver, Slipper etc are proven right? Really - what is the point of comments like this?
Mike
Guest
And take an entirely one-sided view of events? I would hope we have more integrity than that. Patston's interview with Wayne Smith was unimpressive, mostly because of the obvious issues that she said nothing about. "Patston says the version of her CV being used by the Beale camp to discredit her was actually one done for a school project by her son." This is a good example of what I mean. The reason this issue came to light was because there were false claims to qualifications on her LinkedIn and Facebook pages. They were taken down once the media began asking questions. It seems most unlikely that such specific matters were entered onto her pages by her son in the process of doing a school project. Of course, she may be talking about some other accusation, but that then leaves the LinkedIn issue with no comment by her. "Patston says that if the same thing happened again, of she received texts like that again, that she would just say nothing." Her actions belie that claim. She has so far shown that she is prepared to make serious allegations, so long as she cannot be questioned about them and the facts cannot be checked. The continued refusal by some in the rugby community to face these issues is, to use PR's words, "profoundly dishonourable".
Mike
Guest
You do go further than just talking about Beale. You wrote: "We’ll never know who sent the second SMS" We actually don't know if it was sent at all. That is important, particularly when a number of muckrakers on the Roar are trying to blame other team members for sending it (without the slightest reason so far as I can see, except their dislike of the Wallabies). The only known fact appears to be that Patston claimed it was sent to her by Beale. But she then refused to provide her phone for checking and declined to attend the hearing to give evidence about it. Beale showed that it wasn't from him. That leaves open the possibility that it was sent by someone else but it also leaves open the question whether it was sent at all. "we’ll never know if Di Patston’s CV was falsified" It depends what you mean - her CV on her LinkedIn and Facebook pages was falsified - according to the ARU. The question is who did it. She apparently told the ARU that an unnamed third party with access to her LinkedIn and Facebook pages put the incorrect qualifications on there without her knowledge. What people want to believe about that is up to them I suppose. I agree with your other "never know" points.
Bakkies
Guest
and what if they are proven to be right about Beale?
In Brief
Guest
There are a few things I want to forgive Beale for: Staying up to 2am and eating a hamburger (capital crime I know) Punching a teammate on a bus in South Africa (five years jail?) Sending one lewd text message to his manager (watch out Ricky Gervais, humour is costly, 10 years in Long Bay). Clearly Beale is a bad, bad man who must be severely punished. And yet, despite these heinous crimes, I forgive him
The Twins
Roar Rookie
Fire him I say - AUstralian Rugby can do without someone like him - he has tarnished the name of Australian Rugby what else do people want to forgive him for..???
RT
Guest
Snappy riposte. I gather you just read the first line of my post before you came up with that devastating repartee.
Chugalug
Guest
If there was ever a need for a No D..khead's policy then this is it!!!
PiratesRugby
Guest
Manifestly excessive? Even Beale is laughing at you now.