Its surreal Kurtley Beale aiming for a fourth World Cup after Wallabies call-up

With painful memories of Australia’s quarter-final defeat to England at the 2019 World Cup still fresh in his mind, Kurtley Beale says he was surprised by his Wallabies call-up but admits he never lost hope of once again donning a gold jersey.

After just a handful of training sessions under a new regime led by Dave Rennie and his wily assistants, Beale is adamant the Wallabies environment has changed for the better and declared his intention to make Australia’s 2023 World Cup squad as a 34-year-old.

Beale in action at Wallabies training ahead of the team’s Test against Scotland. Credit:Andrew Phan/Wallabies Media

Injuries to Tom Banks and Reece Hodge forced Rennie to get in contact with Beale, who is based in France. Just 18 months ago, Rennie left Beale out of a players’ of national interest squad, in a telling sign that he wanted to go another direction, that almost certainly contributed to Beale’s decision to head abroad.

Beale had racked up 92 Tests when he arrived at Racing 92, with his international future under a cloud, but is now firmly in the picture to add to his Test tally in upcoming matches against Scotland, England and Wales, if selected.

The 32-year-old was brimming with excitement at his first Wallabies media opportunity in two years. He said he loved watching the team from afar and hoped the cards would one day fall his way.

“I can’t tell you how great it feels. It’s surreal,” Beale told reporters. “It was a bit of a surprise call up. I have been following the group from afar, watching their progression over the last couple of years. Obviously Banksy and Hodgey have been doing a fine job at fullback. It’s unfortunate they’ve been injured and I guess the boys ... needed some help in that position, so they gave me a call. I’m super stoked. I didn’t really see it coming. I’m really, really excited to be a part of it.

Beale hasn’t played a Wallabies Test since the team’s 2019 World Cup quarter-final loss to England. Credit:Andrew Phan/Wallabies Media

“You can see a real difference in culture and the standard’s really high. The level of professionalism is really high.”

Beale never retired from Test rugby and hasn’t masked his desire to become the third Wallabies player in history - after George Gregan and Adam Ashley-Cooper - to play at four World Cups.

Deep down, the former NSW Waratah believed his time at Test level wasn’t done.

“I still felt individually, I could still add [something] because I’m still growing in the game,” Beale said. “My hunger is still there ... to keep pushing myself with the best and against the best. The World Cup in France in 2023, it’s still a goal of mine. I’m just trying to do my trade over here.”

With Australia trailing 33-16 in the 76th minute of a forgettable quarter-final in Oita, Beale threw a Hail Mary looping pass that was intercepted by Anthony Watson, who ran away for a five-pointer.

Kurtley Beale in action at last year's World Cup in Japan against England. Credit:AP

The defeat stung Beale badly, particularly given that audacious pass could have been his final moment in a gold jersey.

“The loss in the quarter-final in 2019 really hit home with me,” Beale said. “Any team that competes at the World Cup, you always think you’re gonna win it. You always back yourself. There’s always confidence ... so losing at that stage, it’s always disappointment. Then there’s always hunger to try and redeem yourself to try and go for it again.”

Beale, who had a poor 2020 Super Rugby season, said he had little contact with Rennie before requesting a release and exiting his Waratahs and Rugby Australia contract four months early in June last year.

Kurtley Beale is tackled by Tevita Kuridrani during a Waratahs match against the Brumbies in 2020. Credit:Getty

“There wasn’t much chat, to be honest. That was okay. We kind of left it as it was,” Beale said. “I was on a path to try and keep developing my game in another country.

“Being away from this environment makes you miss home a bit but it makes you realise how special it is, how great the Wallaby jersey is, and how great representing your country really is.

“Playing in the Top 14 you’re definitely exposed to a lot of different styles of rugby. The games can be slow, the conditions have a huge impact on how you play the game over here. It’s a long season, so it’s always challenging with week-to-week games. I guess it opens your eyes up to a more holistic approach on how the game’s played. I feel like I have that now, I have that experience.

Andrew Kellaway and Kurtley Beale have a chat at Wallabies training in Edinburgh. Credit:Getty

“The benefit of playing against some of the best guys in Europe ... players like [Antoine] Dupont and [Romain] Ntamack, these guys are some pretty world-class players. It’s definitely helped my game.”

Watching Quade Cooper’s Wallabies return, after a four-year break at international level, gave Beale even more motivation and encouragement to believe he could get back to the top.

“It’s made me really eager to be back,” Beale said. “It was great to see Quade and [Samu] Kerevi back. Those guys had a really good and positive influence on the group. It certainly gave them a lot of direction on the field. You can see Quade can control the game. It allowed the rest of the team just to calm and just play their natural game.”

Andrew Kellaway is expected to get the nod at No.15 for Australia’s upcoming clash against Scotland on Sunday (Monday AEST). It is a position that Beale, a jack-of-all trades in the backline, believes he can best add value.

“Fullback at the moment, that’d be great,” Beale said. “Obviously there’s been injuries in that position, so it would be nice to get an opportunity there. But at the moment, it’s just great to be in and around the group.”

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