KEY BACK KURTLEY Beale won’t figure in Australia’s three internationals next month and scrum-half Will Genia looms as the squad’s only overseas-based player.
Head coach Michael Cheika will announce his 33-man squad next week for the home Tests against Fiji, Italy and Scotland, but he confirmed he will not be using Beale before the Rugby Championship, kicking off in August.
Beale injured a hamstring playing for Wasps in their English Premiership semi-final win over Leicester last weekend, after recovering from a serious knee injury which ruled him out of the Wallabies’ international campaign last year.
Wasps are hoping he will be fit for Saturday’s final against Exeter, but the 28-year-old won’t play any part for Australia in June.
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“Kurtley won’t be coming back (for the June Tests),” Cheika told reporters. “I think it’s the right thing. I’ve talked to the medicos.
“I think considering the injury status he had before he left (Australia), and now a couple of niggles toward the end of the (English) season, it’s not the first one he’s had.
I’d rather he just has a month off and keeps himself in some type of nick and he gets back here and has a good version of a pre-season before the Rugby Championship.”
Cheika said Genia would return to Australia after playing for Stade Francais in this weekend’s European Champions Cup play-off final against Northampton.
The head coach said he would like to see the 75-Test scrum-half follow Beale, who is returning to Australia’s NSW Waratahs, by coming back to play in the Super Rugby competition.
“It’s pretty clear, if I pick him for the first Test, where I see him in the pecking order,” Cheika said.
“So I would be crazy not to say ‘Is someone going to pick this chap up? Hello?’”
Wallabies leave Beale out for summer Test series
KEY BACK KURTLEY Beale won’t figure in Australia’s three internationals next month and scrum-half Will Genia looms as the squad’s only overseas-based player.
Head coach Michael Cheika will announce his 33-man squad next week for the home Tests against Fiji, Italy and Scotland, but he confirmed he will not be using Beale before the Rugby Championship, kicking off in August.
Beale injured a hamstring playing for Wasps in their English Premiership semi-final win over Leicester last weekend, after recovering from a serious knee injury which ruled him out of the Wallabies’ international campaign last year.
Wasps are hoping he will be fit for Saturday’s final against Exeter, but the 28-year-old won’t play any part for Australia in June.
“Kurtley won’t be coming back (for the June Tests),” Cheika told reporters. “I think it’s the right thing. I’ve talked to the medicos.
“I think considering the injury status he had before he left (Australia), and now a couple of niggles toward the end of the (English) season, it’s not the first one he’s had.
Cheika said Genia would return to Australia after playing for Stade Francais in this weekend’s European Champions Cup play-off final against Northampton.
The head coach said he would like to see the 75-Test scrum-half follow Beale, who is returning to Australia’s NSW Waratahs, by coming back to play in the Super Rugby competition.
“It’s pretty clear, if I pick him for the first Test, where I see him in the pecking order,” Cheika said.
“So I would be crazy not to say ‘Is someone going to pick this chap up? Hello?’”
© – AFP 2017
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