Kurtley Beale returns to Wallabies after three years as Joe Schmidt names first squad and is open to granting early releases to NRL-bound players

New coach Joe Schmidt has named 38 players in his first Wallabies squad which includes 13 uncapped players - the inclusion of 35-year-old Kurtley Beale. The new Wallabies mentor speaks ahead of the upcoming Test series.

WALLABIES coach Joe Schmidt is open to granting early releases to NRL-bound Carter Gordon and Mark Nawaqanitawase after leaving the duo out of his first squad.

While recalling 35-year-old Kurtley Beale to the Wallabies squad for the first time in nearly three years, Schmidt has left out 23-year-olds Gordon (Gold Coast Titans) and Nawaqanitawase (Sydney Roosters) as he builds a squad ready to challenge the British & Irish Lions next year.

While Gordon and Nawaqanitawase are contracted to Rugby Australia until the end of the year, and RA boss Phil Waugh has said he won’t be granting them early releases to join their respective NRL teams in 2024, Schmidt is more open to the idea.

“I haven’t been part of a discussion on that yet, and I guess it’s something new, it would be something we’d have to talk about if it came up,” Schmidt said.

“I don’t really want to get in your way. If they want to get on, they’ve chosen a path and they want to get on the pathway.”

Kurtley Beale will return for the Wallabies at 35-years-old. Picture: James Worsfold/Getty Images

Nawaqanitawase is chasing a spot in the Australian men’s sevens team for the Paris Olympics. If selected next week, he would be in France until August 3, and then be available for the Roosters.

Gordon, who must play club rugby in Brisbane if he’s not selected for the July Tests against Wales and Georgia, could be available for the Titans immediately if given a release,

“Mark is a slightly different situation to Carter, but if there was a case (for an early release) I guess it would be a decision for the rugby committee and they may ask me my opinion.

“But it’d be something I’d throw back to the coaches because that’s how we make our decisions.”

The biggest shock of Schmidt’s first squad is the inclusion of Beale, who endured a rape trial last year in which he was found not guilty, but took a year away from his career after the NSW Waratahs pulled his contract.

Beale made his comeback through Randwick in the Shute Shield earlier this year, before he was picked up by the Western Force and impressed during the Super Rugby Pacific season.

The 95-Test capped utility back last represented Australia during the 2021 spring tour, and he is the second-most experienced player in Schmidt’s squad behind James Slipper.

Mark Nawaqanitawase missed out on the Wallabies team. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Schmidt said Beale had shown with the Force that he can still light up an attack.

“One [play] probably sticks in my mind the, the Force were playing left to right, and he looked that side, there was nothing on,” Schmidt said.

“He switched back around the other side. Ben Donaldson decided to have a crack and got the ball through to Kurtley who just came straight off his left shoulder.

“And it’s hard to coach that. He just sees the game. Sometimes I think just as players get older, they see it, but maybe struggle to land it. But he’s been landing it pretty well.

“And particularly around the feedback from the Force around the confidence he was giving other players, and we had number of the Force on the grass last week, and there was really positive feedback about his influence.”

Schmidt named 38 players in his first squad including 13 uncapped players including rookie winger Darby Lancaster and playmaker Tom Lynagh - son of legend Michael Lynagh.

Lancaster only made his Super Rugby debut for the Rebels this year, and is now in contention for a Test start when the Wallabies host Wales in Sydney on July 6.

Tom Lynagh is set to follow in his fathers steps as a Wallaby. Picture: DAVID GRAY / AFP

Queensland teammates Lynagh and Josh Nasser have followed in their father’s footsteps, named in their first national squads, with Michael Lynagh and Brendan Nasser having pulled on the gold jersey during the 1980s and 1990s.

Lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto has earned a recall to the squad after returning to Australian Rugby last year, while Slipper is the most-capped player with 134 appearances so far for the Wallabies.

Meanwhile, Queensland Reds’ Alex Hodgman has taken a step closer to becoming just the fourth player to play for both Australia and New Zealand, qualifying to represent the gold jersey through his Fijian-Australian father.