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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.