Wallabies coach Michael Cheika sees his role in Kurtley Beale’s comeback as rugby coach not social worker, saying it’s up to the controversial playmaker to make the most of his latest career lifeline.
Beale is set to return to Test rugby for the first time since the text message scandal that rocked Australian rugby after being included on the bench for Saturday’s (Sunday morning AEDT) clash with Ireland in Dublin.
Cheika expects a “battle royale” with Europe’s top-ranked team in Australia’s penultimate match of the spring tour and insists last week’s decision to recall Beale has not been a distraction.
The Waratahs coach has brought the best out of Beale – who has a history of off-field indiscretions – in Super Rugby but says there won’t be any special treatment at international level.
“When he came to the Waratahs, I never claimed that I was going to be his social worker,” Cheika said on Thursday.
“I’m just a rugby coach so it’s about honesty, straightforwardness, directness and putting out an exact picture of what’s required and what’s not needed.
“I’ve found that works to get the best out of him.”
Beale was fined $45,000 for sending a lewd picture message to former ARU staff member Di Patston, with the scandal ultimately leading to the resignation of former coach Ewen McKenzie.
“I know that in the time he was with us in the Waratahs he was impeccable but there’s still no excuse for what happened (with Patston). It was inappropriate,” Cheika said.
“But he’s got himself back. He’s be through the process, got himself back on track and fit and he’s over here to play.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to help him regain a bit of support for the right reasons and not be maligned for the wrong ones.”
Cheika has had plenty more than Beale’s return on his plate this week as Australia look to rebound from the first defeat of his tenure, a 29-26 loss to France in Paris last week.
The Wallabies are hoping to avoid back-to-back spring tour defeats for the first time since 2005, while Cheika faces a delicate balancing act in the remaining matches against Ireland and England between results and getting the side to come to grips with a new style.
“It’s very obvious there’s going to be a learning (period) because we’ve changed so much but at the end of the day I want the results to speak,” he said.
Cheika signalled before the defeat to France he would give opportunities this week to the likes of centre Matt Toomua, rising back-rower Luke Jones and Fijian-born Henry Speight, who will make his Test debut on the wing.
But the coach, who spent five years with Irish club Leinster, does not feel he’s weakened his team for a clash with an in-form Ireland outfit that beat South Africa a fortnight ago.
“It’s going to be a battle royale, really,” he said.
“They (Ireland) have already taken a southern hemisphere scalp and they’ll be very much looking for a second.”
Australia vs Ireland
Test match, Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Saturday, November 22, 4.30pm (0330 AEDT Sunday)
Head to head: Australia 21, Ireland 9, drawn 1
Last meeting: Australia bt Ireland 32-15, Dublin, November 2013
Odds: Ireland $1.72, Australia $2.10
Wallabies
Israel Folau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Tevita Kuridrani, Matt Toomua, Henry Speight, Bernard Foley, Nick Phipps; Ben McCalman, Michael Hooper (capt), Luke Jones, Rob Simmons, Sam Carter, Sekope Kepu, Saia Fainga’a, James Slipper. Res: James Hanson, Tetera Faulkner, Benn Robinson, Will Skelton, Jake Schatz, Will Genia, Quade Cooper, Kurtley Beale.
Ireland
Rob Kearney; Tommy Bowe, Robbie Henshaw, Gordon D’Arcy, Simon Zebo; Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jamie Heaslip, Rhys Ruddock, Peter O’Mahony; Paul O’Connell (capt), Devin Toner; Mike Ross, Rory Best, Jack McGrath. Res: Sean Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Rodney Ah You, Dave Foley, Tommy O’Donnell, Eoin Reddan, Ian Madigan, Felix Jones.
cs
Guest
How does a 'crush' 'work', now or previously? Like a 'Social worker'? Is English your second language? I thought that the game was a cracker, actually; and that there is some evidence that Cheika's starting to get results. I also thought that KB did OK with limited opportunities and will probably be better for the run, but we'll see.
Tissot Time
Guest
Beale has been reported as saying Cheik is a father figure to him and Cheik says he is not his social worker....umm
firstxv
Guest
hows that beale crush working for you now cs? Between Cheikas test record and beales performance I think they both might need Social workers now.
soapit
Guest
without knowing who it is id say odds are they are smarter than beale
firstxv
Guest
does he now enable his texts? His pints? his 4am burgers...if so that's gotta be a good thing then...
firstxv
Guest
nice try...you write a lot where the truth hurts. bring this one out next time he's offside...I wonder if this article will even have gone over to the next page. Poor spirited? Why? This is entertainment at its best...nothing wrong with looking forward to that. Oh how he fills these pages up! more I say.
grapeseed
Guest
Well I'm much drunker now than I was when I wrote that post above, but I still don't know what the hell I was talking about. I need to remember to put my room key back on the coffee table later tonight.
Harry Jones
Guest
Haha! Good. Are you saying the "second texter" is smarter than Beale?
soapit
Guest
nope, i'm not that dumb harry.
soapit
Guest
what this still leaves unanswered as to who beales social worker/babysitter is to be?
grapeseed
Guest
RT, thank you. Obviously your post sat in the purgatory of moderation for some time, so I appreciate you going around the buoy one last time on this. I am very good friends with General Duncan (although he was well ahead of me, even in my former life) so your third last paragraph rings particularly true. I have scoured the road sides with soldiers following PBIEDs and thanked god for the nature and calibre of man next to me scraping and placing body parts into zip lock bags. These guys are specifically chosen and conditioned to do a job that the lay person may pontificate about academically, but could never really understand. I have forgiven far greater transgressions than that to which Beale has confessed, because I know that it is not angels and politically correct pseudo warriors that I need next to me, but people who will actually execute the training when required. But at the same time, if they ever alienated a member of my team, even a female logistician, and especially an officer, I would punish them severely and they would be close to gone. Frustrating. Lucky we've got the actual rugby coming on in an hour or two to keep us sane! Cheers mate. Let us never speak of this again. (Unless Beale spontaneously combusts on the field, or scores a length of the field match winning try..) GO WALLABIES!!
Harry Jones
Guest
Really don't see this whole saga being that important. Young men make bad jokes and pranks that hurt feelings. Old men do it less, bc they are married, usually, or have had to pay a price ($45,000?) Has anyone here ever sent a crude joke to anyone? Has anyone sent an email to the wrong person by mistake? Has anyone paid $45,000 for a mistake?
Westie
Guest
There is a second texter.
Ken
Guest
He hasn't even paid his $45,000 fine and he's back representing the wallabies ? Seriously ARU WTF .? is that fine just a joke ?
Toa
Guest
Israel Folau to bounce back & wreck havoc against the Irish.The Irish defence will be intimidated by Izzy size and power!
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
Literally creative
"Bowled Shane"
Guest
What a pleasant change to read two opposing, well articulated posts without all the rubbish. About time- well done!
cs
Guest
History shows that the Road to Professional Ruin is chock-full of Coaches who blindly align themselves with deeply character-flawed “stars” who never quite live up to their potential and who take their Coaches down with them. Does it? Can you illustrate with just a few of the most clear-cut cases, drawing from the 'chock-full' history?
cs
Guest
I doubt the wisdom of making any further comments on this issue, but firstxv's contribution is difficult to resist: The guy is a perpetual offender of off the field incidents Literally incorrect. He's been an intermittent offender, and at least some of these intermittently occurring offences were trivial; others might appear reasonable if we knew the full circumstances. It doesn't help the case to exaggerate, and it irritates the fair-minded. . so has used is cry wolves up. Literally incorrect cliche. The boy called wolf many times when there was none; the upshot being that he was tragically disbelieved when the wolf really appeared. This might tell of the risk that the detractors and scandal-mongers are now facing. Of anyone he needs to be squeaky, and he shows no interest in that. Literally beyond the evidence. His playing this soon will primarily be to make the ARU pay its own fine, where he should have taken the Summer out to sort his cr#$p. Literally incorrect, unless you expect him to play for nothing, and there is no authority to say he should not play. Cheikas indifference means those who need to care the most- Beale and his coach- are ignoring it. Literally beyond the evidence. Given that I look forward to his next fall from grace, and hope it is his most spectacular. Literally poor-spirited. If the detractors cannot move on, they should at least try to be real and fair.
WoobliesFan
Guest
Sure is