Kurtley Beale’s $1.35m lure to join Wasps is ‘the first of many’

NSW Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson has warned rich European clubs will poach more of Australia’s best players.

Kurtley Beale of the Waratahs has allegedly been offered $1.35m-a-year to join the London Wasps.

Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson yesterday warned that wealthy European clubs would poach more of Australia’s best players, with Wallabies playmaker Kurtley Beal poised to sign a multi-million dollar deal with English side Wasps.

Beale’s reported $1.35m-a-year salary would make him one of the game’s top-five best paid players.

And Gibson expects more Wallabies will head to Europe because Australia can’t match the huge money on offer.

“The potential move away from the Waratahs would be ­really disappointing,” Gibson said. “We are keen to keep Kurtley here (but) that’s a huge sum of money. Rich European teams coming here and picking off our best talent — that is going to become more the norm than not.

“I don’t think we are quite at that tipping point yet but it is going to be a big issue for Australian rugby. We want our best players playing in our competition and for the Waratahs.

“It’s going to be an ongoing problem.”

Ironically, the ARU’s 60-Test policy, known as the Giteau Law, which it introduced last year to allow France-based Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell to play at the World Cup in England, will help contribute to the exodus of Australia’s top talent.

Previously, the ARU would not consider overseas-based players for Wallabies selection, which meant most players waited until the end of their careers to seek superannuation-style contracts in Europe and Japan. But now players who have earned 60 Test caps remain eligible for the Wallabies even if they play overseas.

Beale notched up his 60th Test at the World Cup, while Waratahs openside flanker Michael Hooper (51), fullback Israel Folau (38), halfback Nick Phipps (39), five-eighth Bernard Foley (27) and second-rower Dean Mumm (44) could potentially reach the threshold within the next year or two, while hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau (61) and prop Benn Robinson (72) have already passed it.

“The 60-game threshold will hurt the Waratahs more than it will hurt Australia because Kurtley is still available to Australia, but he won’t be available to the Waratahs,” Gibson said.

“That’s a fact of life. If he does go, we’ll just get on with it.”

Asked whether the ARU should abolish the 60-Test rule, Gibson said: “Not really. In terms of contracting to keep their big players, it really is an ARU situation. We can pay up to a certain level. After that it’s ARU top-ups.

“We would be disappointed to see him (Beale) go. We are doing everything we can to keep him. What we can offer is an excellent environment and one where he has done well.

“We are hopeful. As far as I know it’s not a done deal. We are hopeful he will reconsider his situation, (and think:) ‘The Waratahs is the best place for me, I’m still getting paid well (but) probably not as well as I would in Europe’.

“When you get offered a great deal of money, it’s going to be very tempting.”

In the meantime, Beale looks set to stay at five-eighth for the match against the Highlanders in Sydney next Friday night, with Wallabies No 10 Bernard Foley rated a 50-50 chance of playing.

Foley sustained a shoulder injury in the Waratahs’ pre-season trial with the Highlanders in Queenstown and is yet to take part in contact sessions at training.

“He has been introduced to training slowly,” Gibson said. “He is getting closer to coming to act­ion, but he is still 50-50 for Friday.

“I’m happy with the backline running the way it is. We could tinker a little bit with our wings and so forth, but ultimately KB is running at 10, young Dave Horwitz is doing extremely well. Having Bernard out for a few more weeks will be tough on the team, but I think we can cope.”

Gibson admitted the Waratahs’ struggling scrum would become a concern if not rectified.

The Waratahs have a scrum success rate of 77 per cent, which ranks them ahead of only the Cheetahs (69 per cent) and the Kings (67 per cent).

“The good scrums going around — the Reds, the Brumbies, the Crusaders — lead the way, particularly scrumming as an eight. That’s something we haven’t quite nailed yet.

“ It is a work in progress but it is one that we have to get right, otherwise it can be an achilles heel for us.”

The coach welcomed the appointment of the Waratahs’ new CEO, fellow Kiwi Andrew Hore, whom he knows from their time together at the Crusaders.

“I think he realises the enormity of the challenge that he’s got with the merging of the two organisations, Waratahs and NSW,” Gibson said.

“He has done well at the Ospreys. Seven years there. He balanced the books and they seem to be running a good organisation. They are skills we could do with.”