Beale feels the heat as Wallabies make shift
KURTLEY Beale will make an immediate return to his preferred position at inside centre for the Wallabies’ must-win Rugby Championship clash with Argentina this weekend after coach Michael Cheika pulled the pin on the flyhalf experiment.
After starting in the No.10 jersey for the last three Tests, Beale will revert back to his traditional spot in the midfield with a licence to unleash his full natural attacking instincts against the Pumas.
Cheika is still undecided about who will fill the playmaker’s role, with both Bernard Foley and Matt Toomua each taking turns at fiveeighth during the Wallabies’ first Buenos Aires training run.
While there was plenty of merit in giving the versatile Beale a shot at five-eighth after the Wallabies struggled to light up the world in the first half of the season, the decision to move him back to No.12 is the right one and couldn’t come at a better time, with the Wallabies desperately needing to beat the Pumas to avoid finishing last on the table.
Although Toomua produced a man-of-the-match performance when he was paired with Beale for the first time in last month’s 23-18 win against South Africa in Brisbane, it was also crystal clear from the outset that the combination would need time and patience to click.
The alarm bells were ringing when the Wallabies lost at home to the Pumas the following week, with Beale twice dropping routine passes from halfback Will Genia.
Beale then threw a wild intercept pass in last weekend’s loss to South Africa.