The former Wallabies back Kurtley Beale has singled out Finn Russell as the biggest threat to Australia’s prospects of victory against the visiting British & Irish Lions. Beale, a leading figure in the 2013 Lions series, has also warned his compatriots to brace themselves for a “juggernaut” of a rugby experience when the tour kicks off this Saturday.
Beale’s infamous slip as he went to kick a potential match-clinching penalty in the first Test in Brisbane had a key bearing on the outcome 12 years ago. And the 36-year-old now believes Russell holds the key to the forthcoming series.
“I played with him at Racing 92 and he’s such a mercurial, unpredictable player,” Beale said. “With a forward pack like he’ll have in front of him, he can create a lot of damage. I think he’ll be the danger man.”
Australia’s match-winners, in Beale’s view, could well be the centre pairing of Len Ikitau and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, assuming their forwards can also fulfil their part of the bargain. “They’re our danger men if our forward pack can lay a platform up front that really challenges the Lions set piece,” he said. “That’s going to be the determining factor in the end. Whichever side can get that quality ball there are going to be some quality backs thriving off the back of that.”
For his part, Beale, who has 95 caps for the Wallabies, says he has come to terms with the late penalty slip that allowed the Lions to sneak away with a crucial 23-21 first Test win 12 years ago. “I’ve been waiting for this question,” he said after being briefly interrupted by a possum darting through the media huddle outside Western Force’s headquarters. “That was obviously a real disappointment, an embarrassing moment. From that day onwards I’ve worn studs! It was a crucial moment in the series, wasn’t it? I was just very thankful to have strong teammates around me to pick me back up.
“I still haven’t watched it properly. But you learn from that and put yourself in those positions week in, week out in training to try and correct some wrongs. It’s just an ongoing process and I feel like I’ve done that now. As rugby players it’s never ending … you’re always learning, even at my age. You’re continually working on your craft and goal-kicking for me has always been that.”
Beale, only just back from a long-term achilles tendon injury, may also bump into the Lions later in the tour when they face a First Nations & Pasifika XV in Melbourne. He senses an “amazing series” lies just over the horizon and has been telling his younger teammates to make the most of a priceless sporting experience.
“It’s just a juggernaut of a game: on the field the level and intensity and the skills required under pressure increases 10-fold,” Beale said. “I’ve been sharing stories with a lot of the guys in the team here about just how big it’s going to be and just making sure they enjoy it and embrace this week and the opportunity to play against some world-class players. It’s just going to be an amazing series.
“Obviously the Lions had a disappointing loss against Argentina but they’ll be coming back firing and really wanting to start the series off on a positive note. We understand that but the focus for us is to put in a performance that we can proudly hang our hats on.”
