Kurtley Beale will press his Wallabies case from France next season after signing a two-year deal with Racing 92.
The glamour club announced the NSW Waratahs back, as well as Melbourne Rebels and Wallabies forward Luke Jones, among their new editions for the 2020/21 Top 14 season on Tuesday morning.
Beale will still be eligible to play for Australia but was reportedly out of favour with incoming Wallabies coach Dave Rennie ahead of the Waratahs’ return to training on Tuesday.
“We’ve tried to mix youth and experience in positions where we haven’t managed to pull through from our academy,” the club’s sporting director and former French flanker Yannick Nyanga said.
“We have two premium signings (Beale and Jones) who will bring some experience and their ability.”
Beale, now 31 has played 92 Tests to comfortably pass the 60-cap limit required to play for the Wallabies while plying his trade overseas.
But the versatile talent may have to change Rennie’s mind given he was reportedly left out of the New Zealander’s recent “players of national interest” unit following the Waratahs’ 1-5 start to the season.
The Waratahs and Brumbies were set to return to training to a modified team training on Tuesday, while the Melbourne Rebels plan to do so on Monday and the Queensland Reds are still waiting for state government approval.
Rugby Australia have mapped out a Super Rugby return for the first weekend of July in a domestic competition that could feature both Japan’s Sunwolves and the Perth-based Western Force.
adam smith
Guest
@Markus, well said mate, well said.
ScottD
Roar Guru
Yep. So what. KB leaving is hardly ground breaking news but the article pretending he is still in the running for the WB’s is a stretch.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
A study commissioned by SA Rugby indicated that 60% of players leave for money.. Balance for reasons you mentioned of course plus the insecurity created by the Quota system and obviously general insecurity… Crime etc.. So I guess we both right on this one.
Realist
Guest
What a send-off for our national treasure! I bet Phipps and Foley would be pretty rapt they snuck away after RWC - imagine the brick bats for those two !! Chieka, Clyne and Castle also gone so we are tracking well for eradication. Just a pity the game is probably too far gone by now.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Yes, some would. But all empirical evidence indicates that loosening eligibility increases then number that go. This has even played out in South Africa every time foreign eligibility restrictions have been loosened.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
Nope.. They would still go.. Money is the big drawcard….
jcmasher
Roar Rookie
Good. Won’t be missed and won’t ever disgrace the gold jersey again
Don
Roar Rookie
That’s because according to the CEO at the time he’s a “National Treasure” 6 hour hearing. $45k fine. Then the new coach flew him in to join the spring tour a week later as an additional player. And we wonder why some players have an entitlement mindset...
Wigeye
Guest
Best news since sliced bread 3 years too late
Waxhead
Roar Rookie
Well Racing made a good choice in Jones and a crap one in Beale imo. Jones is a loss for Aust :unhappy: Beale is a bonus :stoked:
Markus
Roar Rookie
"Never knowingly a bad bugger" Assaulted a bouncer, assaulted two of his Rebels' teammates one of which was his captain, abused Di Patston and sent horrible texts around about her and was one of the main men behind white-anting McKenzie as coach. Beale got off easy compared to the other two Amigos despite his rap sheet being by far the worst of the three.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
And yet we saw a mass exodus every time South Africa loosened restrictions for foreign eligibility. Australia and New Zealand have far fewer top players playing abroad.
Nick Maguire
Roar Rookie
OOP, I don't think it stands to reason at all, it is but one optional outcome. Another option equally as valid is that those players play overseas anyway and therefore don't play for the SA national team. As many AUS players do.
Nick Maguire
Roar Rookie
Micko, Agree. I understand why RA think they should do it but I think reality needs to be faced here and acknowledge that we don't have the depth of talent to both have a very high level domestic competition (SR) full of players of international standard and a string of top players overseas not qualified to play for the Wallabies. However I also believe that SR rules should be such that all players in SR MUST be eligible for selection for their national team from whichever team they play for in SR. This gives validity and the proper status to the competition.
Red Rob
Roar Rookie
Totally agree smi. Whether we really can do much about it, I don’t know.
terrykidd
Roar Pro
Fair enough, go earn some retirement euros .... thanks for the memories but your time has come. Actually, given this announcement, sit the bench at the Tahs and allow Maddocks a shot at fullback.
stillmissit
Roar Guru
OOP: Good argument but I don't see it like that. The main battle is between Lolesio and Harrison and I think Harrison is the better of the two. Not sure JOC will hold up over the next season, if we have one in 21.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Not sure that’s much of an argument, SMI. We won’t know how well JOC or Lolesio would have played at the Tahs. What we do know is that the starting 10s from the other Australian teams are all willing to consistently engage and hold the defence, take the ball to the line and then distribute either before or after contact. This is non-negotiable for a 10 in my eyes, especially the brand of rugby Rennie likes to play. Harrison, meanwhile, has tended to hang back, play deep and either kick or pass well behind the line. In the second half against the Brumbies the Tahs had so much ball with good territory and never threatened. It’s a trend I’ve noticed in Harrison throughout the truncated season. I probably would include him in an extended squad (he needs to be exposed to better environments than he gets at the Tahs). But I understand his non-inclusion if Toomua, JOC and Lolesio are all viewed as 10s/potential 10s.
stillmissit
Roar Guru
I understand your argument but who else of the 10's excluding Toomua could have played that well behind that pack?
stillmissit
Roar Guru
RR: If we lose this generation of quality youngsters we are in the hole for another 10 years and I hope whoever runs RA recognises this danger. In between playing their own game of course! Pro Politics.