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Wallabies star Kurtley Beale has been stood down from all forms of rugby after being granted bail over an alleged sexual assault of a woman at a popular Sydney establishment late last year.
The Wallabies back, 34, was arrested after a vehicle stop at Kingsford about 2:30pm on Friday afternoon and taken to Waverley police station.
Beale was charged with two counts of sexually touching another person without consent, inciting another person to sexually touch them without consent, and sexual intercourse without consent.
He spent Friday night behind bars after being refused bail to appear at Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday.
The charges come after a 28-year-old woman reported to police in the Tweed/Byron Bay district that she had been allegedly sexually assaulted at Beach Road Hotel in Bondi Beach on December 17, 2022.
On Saturday, Beale appeared at Parramatta Bail Court via video link from Surry Hills. He wore a white sweatshirt.
Beale’s wife, Maddi, and their newborn child, who was named after his father – Kurtley James Windon Beale – was present at the courtroom, as was her father and Beale’s two sisters.
Prosecutor Scott Thomson told the court the charges had been brought after a surveillance device warrant uncovered a conversations between Beale and the complainant, who was named in court, after the date of the alleged incident.
“That conversation alludes to what I would say [were] admissions,” he said.
Kurtley Beale during a Wallabies training session at Sanctuary Cove on August 23, 2022 in Gold Coast, Australia. Photo: Chris Hyde/Getty Images
The court also heard the prosecution would bring forward evidence alleging Beale had a conversation with another person, who was not named, saying “yeah, I messed up.”
Beale’s barrister, Stephen Stanton, said the defence would present that the intercepted calls were “an admission of infidelity, no more, no less.”
Beale was later granted bail, with Stanton arguing the rugby player would appear in court.
The case has been adjourned to Waverley Local Court on March 22.
Rugby Australia stood Beale down on Friday night.
“Rugby Australia and the NSW Waratahs advise that Kurtley Beale has been suspended from all forms of rugby with immediate effect pending the conclusion of legal proceedings, as well as Rugby Australia’s own investigations,” a statement read.
“This step follows Mr Beale’s arrest and subsequent charge with serious criminal offences, and is in line with Rugby Australia’s Professional player Code of Conduct.”
Kurtley Beale has been arrested for an alleged assault. Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images
Beale arrived back in Australia last June after plying his trade in France for two seasons with Paris-based club Racing 92.
The talented back, who made his debut for the Wallabies in 2009 and has gone on to play 95 Tests, was included in former Wallabies coach Dave Rennie’s 44-person squad for the first training camp of the year last week.
While injury had meant he had not played for the Wallabies since the last Test of the 2021 Spring Tour, Beale was eyeing off a fourth World Cup campaign.
The alleged assault bookends a dramatic week in Australian rugby, which started with the shock axing of Rennie and the announcement Eddie Jones had returned as Wallabies coach.
Beale has had a long-running battle with alcoholism.
In 2013, the then-Melbourne Rebels star had a fight with teammates Gareth Delve and Cooper Vuna just hours after a record-breaking 64-7 loss to the Sharks in South Africa.
In a Stan Sport feature in December, Beale opened up on the day he checked himself into a rehab centre.
“I checked myself into rehab. It came off the back end of the Rebels, me getting in a stink with one of the other players,” Beale said.
“I made a bit of a porkchop of myself and absolutely deserved every sanction and everything like that. It was the time there where things weren’t going right for me. I had to get help.
“With the support going back to my pillars, they pretty much said ‘Maybe let’s go down this route and try find yourself a bit.’ It was pretty tough.
“You think as a young kid you know everything, right? You know everything. I always see it as it’s all learnings. It’s a time for growth and I found that period really helpful because it was all about reconnecting with my identity because I lost it.
“I didn’t know who I was. When you don’t have that sense of who you are and that attachment of yourself then you lose yourself by not staying true to yourself.”
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.