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Beale focussed on his game

2012-06-20 10:39:11

Wallabies full-back Kurtley Beale is now ready to concentrate on his game after he was named in the starting XV for Saturday’s Test with Wales in Sydney

Raring to go: Kurtley Beale

Beale, who was sidelined for the first two Tests in Brisbane and Melbourne with a shoulder injury, was charged with common assault for an alleged altercation with security staff at a Brisbane hotel on the eve of the first Test.

But the Melbourne Rebels star refused to discuss the incident when speaking to the media, opting instead to put his energy towards his return to the international scene.

“I’m feeling very confident, I can’t wait,” Beale told Sportal.

“Obviously it’s been a while now since injuring my shoulder so just very excited for the opportunity to play a Test against Wales, they’re obviously an exciting team to play against so I’m just raring to go.”

Beale believes he won’t have any further problems with his shoulder against Wales after he underwent a rigorous full-contact fitness test with former Wallabies centre Nathan Grey last weekend.

“To pass the test I actually did a bit of tackling with Nathan Grey down at the Rebels and he’s one hard man and I surely felt confident after a session with him,” he said.

“The medical staff have done a really good job, especially the guys at the Rebels have been fantastic in helping me rehabilitate my shoulder, putting a lot of strength in it, and same here at the Wallabies.

“They’ve respected me and looked towards the future in trying to protect me and they chose to give me that extra week off.”

Wallabies boss Robbie Deans believes Beale is focussed on his game and that his off-field issues will not be a distraction for him on Saturday.

“It’s great to have him back, the players enjoy playing with Kurtley and he certainly enjoys playing,” he explained.

“He’s been working hard for a while now so it’s not a decision that’s just been plucked out of nowhere.

“He worked hard last week physically on conditioning and then at the far end of the week we got a high volume of contact in and he’s confident,” added Deans.