Kurtley Beale’s best for Tahs against Brumbies in semifinal still unlikely to seal starting Bledisloe Cup berth

KURTLEY Beale’s hopes of starting in the Bledisloe Cup appear slim, even if he does star in Saturday night’s semi-final against the Brumbies.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 12: Kurtley Beale of the Waratahs celebrates after scoring a try during the round 19 Super Rugby match between the Reds and the Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium on July 12, 2014 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

KURTLEY Beale’s hopes of starting in the Bledisloe Cup appear slim, even if he does star in Saturday night’s semi-final against the Brumbies.

The Waratahs centre has been chosen in the Wallabies squad again by Ewen McKenzie, but the national coach said form over time would decide who starts against the All Blacks.

Given Beale is competing directly against his NSW teammate Bernard Foley for a starting spot in Australia’s side, McKenzie is tipped to stick to his winning formula of a Foley-Matt Toomua midfield combination that performed strongly in three Tests against France, and use Beale as an impact weapon off the bench.

Ironically, Foley and Beale take on Toomua and Christian Lealiifano head-to-head at Allianz Stadium in the second Super Rugby semi.

McKenzie said there is no reason Beale could not start in the Bledisloe opener on August 16, but he also added that “others”, namely Foley, were looking to do the same thing.

“I’m happy to name (Beale) at No.10, I see a great capacity to play that position, I’ve coached him there before,” McKenzie said. “The Waratahs have obviously got a different preference to how they do it, we don’t necessarily follow the provincial template.

“We already play two playmakers anyway, we can think about it differently. We’ve been tracking form, it’s a good battle to have in the playmaking position, and centres.

“He can definitely do that (impact role off the bench), he can play multiple roles, but I don’t see any reason why he can’t start either.

“And we know his preference is to play No.10. There’s no impediments, other than other people want to do the same thing. There’s at least two sides to it, if Quade (Cooper) was around there’s at least three people who want to play No.10.”

The off-contract Beale has said that he is considering his future options because he is not a starting Wallaby, with negotiations ongoing with the ARU. And while the looming clash will be the biggest Super Rugby game in Sydney since 2002 — when NSW and Brumbies also met in the semi-final — the players’ performances will not suddenly convince McKenzie to abandon those who did the job for him against France.

“The game will be important for deciding the final,” McKenzie said. “I’m not going to watch it from a selection perspective over time, I’m looking for form over time. I’ve got strong thoughts on where players are at.

“That said, I think there’s a lot of guys in form. We’ll watch in the ­context of that. I’ll be watching it primarily to see who can impose themselves on the other team and who advances to the final, it will be a fairly significant achievement.”

Originally published as Kurtley Beale’s best for Tahs against Brumbies in semifinal still unlikely to seal starting Bledisloe Cup berth