Kurtley Beale signs new deal with NSW and ARU as coach Michael Cheika tells him to expect jeers

KURTLEY Beale must simply accept any negative jeers that he cops from rugby fans this year, coach Michael Cheika said after the star playmaker re-signed with NSW and the ARU for 2015.

NSW Waratahs host ACT Brumbies in the sudden death semi final at Allianz Stadium in Sydney. Kurtley Beale scores a try.

KURTLEY Beale must simply accept any negative jeers that he cops from rugby fans this year, coach Michael Cheika said after the star playmaker re-signed with NSW and the ARU for 2015.

Following the text message scandal involving former Wallabies business manager Di Patston and the ensuing resignation of coach Ewen McKenzie last year, much anger was directed at Beale from rugby supporters.

Social media lit up when Beale survived the axe at a tribunal hearing, with some declaring they would no longer be attending games.

Beale has also had his share of strong support from some quarters but if he receives any verbal sprays from the notoriously outspoken Sydney rugby public this season, Cheika say Beale must endure it.

“We understand that that type of negativity is around and he is going to have to deal with the fact some people think that and he has to respect that,” Cheika said.

“But he will also have to show them that he won’t make a mistake like that again, and do his best on the field.”

Cheika, the Wallabies and Waratahs coach, has been a mentor for Beale and one of the key factors in his re-signing.

ARU chief executive Bill Pulver has remain tight-lipped on Beale since it emerged his organisation had pushed for his sacking at the tribunal hearing, only to have the independent judges rule that Beale could not be proved guilty of sending the most offensive text to Patston.

They fined him $45,000 for a code of conduct breach, and Cheika, who had taken over as Australia’s coach for the spring tour, later drafted Beale into his squad for the final two games.

Kurtley Beale celebrates the Waratahs’ Super Rugby final win over the Crusaders.

Cheika got the best out of Beale last year at the Waratahs, where the wayward player remained out of trouble off the field and was a crucial cog throughout their title-winning campaign, but his run-in with Patston later exposed growing discontent in the Wallabies camp between players and management.

With Cheika replacing McKenzie, Beale had the strongest ally possible when it came time to renegotiate his contract.

“It was a bit complicated considering everything that happened, but the whole time, I was thinking he was going to be playing for us this year,” Cheika said.

“You don’t want to be losing your top players. We lost Kane Douglas last year and we lost Alofa Alofa, who didn’t have a massive profile but built a strong reputation by the time he left. We certainly can’t afford to lose another player.

“I don’t think Beale has reached his full potential, his style of play fits in well with what we’re doing at the Waratahs, and he did that in a relatively new position at inside centre last season.”

Asked about Beale in context of his World Cup planning, Cheika replied: “He can be very effective, but that’s when he is fitting in with what the team is doing and that is a matter of everyone doing their jobs well.

“He is not a one-man solution.”

Beale, 26, has played 49 Tests for Australia and said: “I’m really looking forward to the year ahead and am grateful to the ARU and Waratahs for the opportunity to continue my career here in Australia.

“With the rugby World Cup coming up, I’m looking forward to getting back out there and playing some good rugby for the Waratahs and hopefully getting selected for the Wallabies.”

Originally published as Kurtley Beale signs new deal with NSW and ARU as coach Michael Cheika tells him to expect jeers