Kiss Confirms Beale in World Cup Frame After Spring Tour Recall

Wallabies coach Les Kiss has confirmed veteran playmaker Kurtley Beale is in genuine contention for a Rugby World Cup berth following his surprise recall for the upcoming spring tour of the United Kingdom.

Beale answered an SOS call for next month’s three-Test series against England, Scotland and Wales, which precedes the inaugural Nations Championship finals from November 21-23. The 95-cap utility back returns to the international fold for the first time since 2021 after midfielder Hunter Paisami withdrew from the squad for personal reasons.

Kiss insists the 35-year-old is not merely filling a vacancy as the race for Australia’s starting fly-half position intensifies ahead of next year’s home World Cup.

“No one comes in just to fill a void,” Kiss said. “All the decisions I’ve made, with the full backing of the coaching group, are about building depth in key areas. It’s important this isn’t just a feeling or a hope — we want to make sure it works. And he’s in there to perform.”

The coach revealed glowing feedback from Western Force staff, including Nic White, Simon Cron and Brad Harris, who reported Beale has been “super quality around the group in terms of holistically just helping drive the program, similar to James O’Connor.”

Following two heavy Bledisloe Cup defeats, Beale’s experience is expected to stabilise a young squad. “We just need him in that space, and he’ll bring his experience … I know he’s hungry to do what he can,” Kiss said of the three-time World Cup participant.

Despite the recall, Kiss expressed satisfaction with the current crop of young fly-halves and indicated a final assessment will wait until after the next Super Rugby Pacific season.

“I like the fact that we’ve given the younger guys a chance to grow without the weight of experienced heads on their shoulders,” he said. “I can’t fault their work ethic. ‘Dono’ [Ben Donaldson] against South Africa showed really good qualities in how he took that game on. Declan [Meredith] in that second Bledisloe Cup Test owned really important moments. There are certainly a few little things he could have done better, but the foundation is there.”

In a further boost, back-rower Tom Hooper has been cleared of serious injury after leaving the field during his club match last Saturday. Hooper, who suffered a scapula hairline fracture against Ireland in July, aggravated the same shoulder but scans have revealed no fresh damage.

“With that scapular issue, if he gets a blow on it, it’s just sorer,” Kiss explained. “All scans have cleared everything. All his movements are coming back, and he’s going to join camp in a good way, which is bloody fantastic for him.”

Australia opens its spring campaign against England at Twickenham on November 8 (November 9 AEDT), a fixture Kiss describes as critical preparation.

“We’ve got England coming up, an extremely experienced team. Twickenham — there’s no better place in rugby for those wonderful battles between Australia and England,” he said. “There are real challenges ahead, but that’s what we need. This is the last window before we close out into what will become a massive year for every country.”

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