Karmichael Hunt will make way for Kurtley Beale for Sunwolves clash
Despite playing a blinder at No.12 in his first game for the Waratahs, Karmichael Hunt shift to outside centre to allow Kurtley Beale to slot back in to face the Sunwolves.
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Karmichael Hunt will be shifted to outside centre to allow Kurtley Beale to slot straight back into his preferred position at inside centre when the Waratahs tackle the Sunwolves in Tokyo on Saturday.
Hunt had a blinder at No. 12 in his first Super Rugby match for NSW last weekend but will switch positions to accommodate Beale’s return and because of doubts over Adam Ashley-Cooper after he suffered a head injury in the 20-19 loss to the Hurricanes.
“Karmichael will shift to 13, so KB at 12,” Waratahs assistant coach Simon Cron said.
“I think you saw from Karmichael’s game on the weekend he is pretty solid both defensively and in attack so we will get a lot wherever he plays for us.”
Veteran Ashley-Cooper needs to pass a concussion test before being cleared to resume playing but Cron said he would still make the trip to Japan as a standby though he was unlikely to play.
“I would suggest he might just be a travelling extra,” Cron said. “I don’t think the plan is to put him in the squad at the moment.”
Hunt joined the Waratahs initially as a backup player to fill holes while the team’s Wallabies were taking mandatory rests to stay fresh for the World Cup but the discarded Queensland Red has already made a big impression so is pushing for a permanent starting role.
“His trials and the game were really good,” Cron said. “If anyone gets on the ball in that midfield zone he cleans out really hard.
“All his contact zone work is brilliant. It helps us with both attack and defence. He’s been a great addition.”
Beale hasn’t played since last year’s Wallabies tour of Europe and is chomping at the bit to get back into the fray.
A reluctant spectator, he sat out the first game as part of the team’s unofficial rotation policy to rest their big stars but can’t wait to strap on the boots again.
“Any opportunity to miss out is always disheartening,” Beale said.
“At the same time the coaches have got a plan and as senior players we’ve got to respect that and go with it and back that and make sure that we’re on the same page.”
Although he’s starting at inside centre this weekend, Beale expects he may have to change jerseys at different times during the season as the team juggles their star players.
Beale had a stint playing at five-eighth for Australia last season and while that didn’t work as well as planned, he’s open to the idea of playing any position for the Waratahs.
“As a back in the modern game I think a lot of guys interchange their positions throughout the game,” he said.
“If you look at the multiphase attacks over the last five or six years, a lot of players are in different channels. It’s a really big advantage for us to have guys that can play all over the park and it’s a bit of a strength for us.”
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