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Mr T becomes a bodyguard
By Jon Geddes Mr T becomes a bodyguard | The Daily Telegraph
February 27, 2008 12:00am
MR T is set to take the role of Kurtley Beale's bodyguard during Saturday's Super 14 showdown with the Highlanders in Dunedin.
In a sometimes fiery training session at Victoria Barracks yesterday, coach Ewen McKenzie sprung a surprise by moving former NRL star Timanu Tahu into Beale's No.10 position when the side was defending in an opposed run against the Junior Waratahs.
The move is clearly designed to offer Beale protection and take some pressure from the outstanding 19-year-old talent after he has obviously been targeted by opposition players. Poor bastard..someone should tell them to stop, its not fair.
It could prove a masterstroke as Tahu stamped himself one of the most feared defenders in the NRL. Last season with Parramatta he absolutely monstered Melbourne's Israel Folu in the final.
With Tahu at No.10 Beale switched to fullback and onto the wing, before moving back to five-eighth in attack. On a couple of other occasions Lote Tuqiri also moved to five-eighth on a couple of occasions in defence.
But Beale will be named at five-eighth when an unchanged starting side is announced tomorrow. While he has played the first two Super 14 games on the wing as he adjusts to the different demands of rugby backline play, Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie has made it clear he wants to get him more involved in the action.
In a lively hit out prop Matt Dunning had a dust up with Junior Waratahs secondrower Adam Byrnes during the opposed session which almost ended with punches being thrown.
Byrnes then locked horns with Dan Vickerman before he was replaced and cooled his heels on the sideline. That is the kind of spirit the Waratahs need to show against a Highlanders side that hooker Adam Freier admits will be desperate.
"The added incentive for them is that they are a team that aren't getting much love and are sitting on the bottom of the comp and have lost two games,'' Freier said.
"They are the teams you don't want to play, they can easily turn it around by beating us. They will be desperate and we need to see those challenges throughout the year.''
The game is a milestone for Freier who plays his 73rd game for NSW, which sees him equal Phil Kearns record as the Waratahs' most capped hooker.
"Growing up as a Randwick hooker Phil Kearns was certainly an idol of mine so to equal his record is a real honour,'' Freier said.
McKenzie said there was no doubt the Highlanders have one of the biggest packs in the competition with props Clint Newland and Jamie Mackintosh both tipping the scales at 130kg.
"There is a bit of work for us,'' McKenzie said. "We have worked pretty hard to be an aggressive side and we want to be that.''
Freier said the team was determined to get back on track after a performance they weren't proud of going down to the Chiefs. "We need to have pride in what we put out onto the park,'' he said.
"We want to come back to the Sydney Football Stadium playing the Brumbies to a full house (on Friday week),'' Freier said.