Wasps linked with swoop for Australian star Beale

AVIVA Premiership play-off contenders Wasps could be closing in on another major signing for next season, with Australia international full-back Kurtley Beale the latest player linked with a move to the London side.

Beale — who has won 60 caps for the Wallabies — would follow the likes of England international fly-half Danny Cipriani and Ireland international prop Marty Moore to Wasps if a move transpires.

Asked about the rumours of a swoop following a 13-10 Premiership defeat at Gloucester, Wasps rugby director Dai Young said: ‘We constantly say that any quality player who comes on the market, we would be interested in them, but so would 11 other Premiership teams.

‘It’s unfair for us to talk about players that are not our players. I think we have been pretty consistent in that, really.

‘We have signed four players for next season — and been linked with 104.

‘I think we have to adopt the policy, really, that when we do sign players, we’ve announced them. We have been pretty honest with that.

‘Would you want Kurtley Beale? Yeah. And we will have the full-back and the winger. I will give you a list if you want.’

On the field, Wasps suffered a first Premiership defeat for two months as Gloucester continued their impressive push towards the play-off places.

Gloucester’s fourth win in their last five league starts was achieved against the odds after they lost four players — two of them leaving the filed on stretchers — to injuries as Rob Cook, Henry Purdy, Paddy McAllister and Billy Burns were all forced off.

Scotland and Gloucester captain Greig Laidlaw’s second-half penalty secured the win, which followed an earlier penalty and his conversion after hooker Richard Hibbard’s dotted down.

Wing Christian Wade scored a memorable solo try for Wasps, with former Leinster fly-half Jimmy Gopperth adding a conversion and penalty, before Gopperth sent a dropgoal attempt narrowly wide with the final act of an absorbing game.

Wasps’ run of six successive Premiership wins came to an end, even if a losing bonus point provided consolation, as they reflected on a first league defeat since January 2.

‘We knew it was going to be tough and a battle. I strongly believe that any team in this league can beat each other,’ Young added.

‘When we play like we can, it takes a very good team to beat us, but if we don’t quite hit our straps, then we are still going to lose games.

‘Today, I thought we just lacked a little bit of spring in our step. We didn’t quite have the intensity that we’ve had the last two to three weeks.’