Kurtley Beale

Schoolboy star a cup bolter

Fox, June 28, 2006

Australia coach John Connolly today lauded Kurtley Beale as a potential World Cup bolter after the teenage sensation impressed at his first training session with the Australia squad at Coffs Harbour.

The 17-year-old schoolboy star accepted a personal invitation from Connolly to spend three days inside Camp Wallaby familiarising himself with the national set-up ahead of Australia's Tri Nations opener against New Zealand in Christchurch on Saturday week.

Earmarked as Stephen Larkham's long-term replacement at fly half for the Wallabies, Connolly conceded Beale may even feature at the 2007 World Cup.

Should he make his Test debut in France, Beale – at just 18 – would become the youngest fly half in Australian rugby history.

"It's possible," Connolly said.

"He has to make the NSW side and play in the Super 14 yet. It will be hard if you're not starting for your province next year to make the jump into the World Cup side.

"First things first, he would probably have to play for NSW first, I would think."

The St Joseph's product has long been in the sights of the Wallabies and Connolly clearly has huge raps on the gifted playmaker, saying he subscribed to the theory that if a player is good enough, he is old enough to represent his country.

"He's got an outstanding schoolboy record and it's about time we had a look at him," he said.

"He's just great with the ball at 17 – he's 18 in January – it's an area in Australian rugby where we're definitely searching for replacements for Steve Larkham in the long term and he's one guy who's been mentioned."

Connolly suggested it would be unfair to liken Beale to a Davis Cup orange boy, youngsters brought into the national fold merely to get a taste of what it's like to be an elite sportsman.

"He's definitely more than that. He'll be doing everything that the other players will be doing and that's why he's here, and it's important for him to do that," Connolly said.

"It's probably good for him to see how he reacts. You see a lot of young players who come on board that, mentally, you think they've got the talent then they come in and they're not sure and it takes two or three years longer.

"Then you've got the examples like (Tim) Horan and (Jason) Little. From the moment they joined the Wallabies as 18, 19-year-olds, they were always very comfortable there."

Connolly hasn't ruled out taking Beale on the Wallabies' end-of-season tour of Europe – HSC commitments permitting – and said the talented pivot was vying with Sam Norton-Knight and Berrick Barnes as Larkham's five-eighth back-up for the World Cup.

Beale's last HSC exam is scheduled for November 8, about a third of the way through the Wallabies' month-long tour of Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England.

He may well link up with the squad for the last three weeks of the tour and feature in the mid-week matches for Australia A.

"We haven't discussed that yet or made a decision," Connolly said.

"It just depends on how we unfold and how the A team goes, how the rest of other players go, injuries ... there's a lot of factors."

Tony Melrose was 19 years and three days old when he debuted against the All Blacks in 1978, while modern-day greats Mark Ella (20) and Michael Lynagh (21) had both passed teenagehood when they were thrust into the chief playmaker's role.

what a gun!

I still haven't seen him play yet, which wouldn't be so bad except I've had opurtunity to (just lazy), looks like I'll have to wait like everyone else now.

Just head down to a Joeys match for us all Sage ;)
He's actually quite a bit bigger than I pictured him to be which is great.
We've all "heard it all before" about Junior's prodigee's but it is starting to look like Beale is the real deal.
I doubt Knuckles would have been public about the meeting/session if he wasn't pretty confident the boy could make it.
It would be very timely for Bernie if he is suited to the International standard and will create real competition amongst the likes of Barnes, Daruda etc into NZ '11.

Schoolboy takes heat of Larkham

By Peter Jenkins
June 29, 2006

AUSTRALIA coach John Connolly has launched a mission to find the next Stephen Larkham - and yesterday welcomed an under-age schoolboy through the gates of Camp Wallaby as the potential heir.

When teen sensation Kurtley Beale was named last night in the NSW Schools team for the Australian titles in Sydney next week, the "Kid Prince" was in Coffs Harbour rubbing shoulders with the game's elite.

The St Joseph's College five-eighth has flown to the NSW north coast, at Connolly's invitation, to train for two days with the Wallabies ahead of their tilt at the All Blacks on Saturday week.

It is all designed to fast-track a 17-year-old prodigy who could be Larkham's World Cup understudy in France next year.

"I'm already impressed," Connolly said after his first face-to-face meeting with the youngster he will consider blooding as the youngest ever Wallaby on the end-of-year tour to Europe.

"We'll have him here today, tomorrow and we'll send him back home on Friday afternoon.

"But we're not letting him do any interviews. I've spoken to his headmaster and (his adviser) Glen Ella. We want to keep him out of the limelight while he's here with us."

Beale, who does not turn 18 until January and sits for his Higher School Certificate in October-November, is currently on term break.

But he could soon be the answer to a major problem for Connolly and the Australian Rugby Union as the countdown continues to the global tournament 15 months away.

A major off-field storm is brewing over how to manage the workload of players considered crucial to Australian World Cup success.

The Daily Telegraph has been told Connolly and key ARU figures believe a three-month rest period must be found for the biggest name stars, especially Larkham, whose injury history demands some form of extended cotton wool treatment.

It is understood there are two frontline options.

One is for players to be rested from the tour to Europe in November, giving them a break that would stretch from the end of the Tri-Nations in early September until January training for Super 14.

The provinces will have no complaint, but it is hardly in Connolly's best interests because the eight-match tour is the last chance for the Wallabies to experience European conditions before the World Cup.

What Connolly and the ARU would prefer is for leading players to have three months off after the tour of Europe, returning to Super 14 action around mid-March after six or seven rounds.

Western Force, whose aggressive recruitment has landed new backline stars in Matt Giteau, Drew Mitchell and Ryan Cross, is horrified by the prospect.

It argues that to climb the table in 2007 and ensure sponsors and corporate backers are welded long-term to the franchise they need their best players on board.

Discussions are ongoing between ARU bosses and provincial officials.

"I don't think there's going to be a quick solution," said ARU operations chief Rob Clarke. "It's a fairly delicate issue."

Connolly refused to comment on the timing of potential breaks but did say: "For Australia to perform well at the World Cup there are a number of players who are crucial and need to be managed well. Stephen Larkham is one of them."

It is part of the reason why Beale is in Coffs Harbour today.


The Daily Telegraph

Testing times set to deny Beale

Greg Growden Chief Rugby Correspondent
Thursday, June 29, 2006

Australian coach John Connolly's plan to select 17-year-old Kurtley Beale for the end-of-season Wallabies tour of Europe has hit a snag - the Higher School Certificate examinations.

The Wallabies selectors want to fast-track the five-eighth, who, as the St Joseph's College First XV chief playmaker since he was 14, has been rated one of the most promising schoolboy players of recent times.

The first serious step towards making Beale a Wallaby before he has even represented NSW at Super 14 level occurred yesterday when he was involved in an Australian team training session at Coffs Harbour.

Connolly has invited Beale to spend three days with the Wallabies this week, so the schoolboy can get a feel of what is required at the top level. The Wallabies coach has said several times that he wants to select several promising five-eighths for the end-of-season tour, in the hope of ensuring there is adequate backup for No.1 pivot Stephen Larkham.

Connolly has named Beale, Queensland five-eighth Berrick Barnes and Waratahs utility back Sam Norton-Knight as three strong contenders for spots, hoping to play them in the four midweek matches on the European tour.

However, Beale's availability is in jeopardy because of his HSC examinations. The European tour will start in late October, with Tests against Wales, Italy, Ireland and Scotland scheduled for November. The HSC examinations are from October 19 to November 17.

Connolly said yesterday that Beale's final HSC exam would be on November 8, which the coach admitted made it difficult for the selectors to pick the student for the tour.

"Everything is a little uncertain at the moment, but selecting him at this stage may be tricky," Connolly said.

One solution would be to invite Beale to join the Wallabies after the exams, but Connolly is more eager to have his players available for all tour matches.

well if i could have chosen between TEE and playing for the wallabies i'm pretty sure i know what i would have done.
TEE of course! (kidding!)
Mind you i guess all that hard work and study would have been wasted if he didn't do his final exams... still... i say go join the squad and worry about uni later.

Especially as he only went to Joeys on a rugby scholorship anyway!

man this kid must be good. Where are the Force recruitment people? haha

Unfortunately the Tahs stiched him up last year felix :(

Sure is! Looking forward to seeing what he's capable of in the sky blue..