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Beale set for Australia return to pursue World Cup goal
By Russell Greaves
Kurtley Beale will return to Australia at the end of Wasps' Premiership campaign as he seeks to play a key role in Australia's bid for 2019 Rugby World Cup success.
The 28-year-old is nearing the end of his one-year contract and has confirmed his plans to head back to his homeland following conversations with Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika.
"This has been a really hard decision because of how much I've been enjoying my time at Wasps," Beale, who has 60 international caps, told the club's official website.
"I signed a one-year deal from the outset to enable me to keep my options open. I came very close to agreeing a new contract with Wasps, but I believe to achieve my international rugby aspirations I need to be back home in Australia.
"To be able to wear the Wallaby jersey again would be the greatest privilege and at this stage of my career I want to give myself the best opportunity of representing Australia in the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
"The vision Cheik has for the Wallabies is really exciting and is something I really want to be part of and contribute to."
A top man as well as a world-class player, who will give Wasps his all for rest of season. #OnceaWasp #Waspsfamily https://t.co/wn13oHo2y3 pic.twitter.com/9dgu9h6XXS
— Wasps (@WaspsRugby) March 9, 2017
Beale – who scored two tries in Saturday's Premiership win over Bath – also thanked Wasps for their role in helping him overcome a torn patellar tendon, an injury which delayed his debut until December.
When he did finally feature, the versatile back produced a man-of-the-match display in a 32-17 European Champions Cup triumph over Connacht.
Wasps director of rugby Dai Young added: "Kurtley is a proud Australian, who quite rightly wants to represent his country, and neither I nor the club would ever discourage a player from playing international rugby, so we fully understand why he would want to return."
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So if this ain’t the best Irish team ever then who exactly is? I don’t remember any other Irish team being this good & winning a series in the Land of the Long White Cloud. Yes I may rip them often for 8 X QF RWC exits & twice not even making it to the QF, but they’re a damn good team who many think can only improve, including me!
Go to commentsNot a squeek out of Leinster for weeks about this match. So quiet. The first team have been quitely building for this encounter under Nienaber’s direction. All fresh, all highly motivated. They are expecting a season’s best performance from Northhampton. They will match that. They will be fresher and apparently they will have 80,000 out of the 83,000 shouting for them. I do expect Northhampton to turn up big time. Not to be missed. On a tangent it is evident how the loss of a few Premiership teams has in some respect helped other Premiership teams and England. More quality over less teams makes the teams better, which has a knock on effect on England. Not the only factor contributing to England’s rise but one of them.
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