Just a few months after his long-awaited return from Achilles’ injury, Kurtley Beale was once again on Saturday night with days of hamstring tension from the British and Ireland’s Lions Tour Opener against the Western Army.
Twelve years after he last lined up with the Lions for the Wallabies, Beale was set to run around for the Force in Perth on Saturday night, but instead we’ll look from a bystander with Ben Donaldson, who was released from the Wallabies team.
Donaldson will fly from Sydney to Perth before the match.
The playmaker, along with teammates Harry Potter, Carlo Tizzano and Jeremy Williams, remained in Sydney ahead of the Wallabies Fiji Test next weekend, so he was originally set to miss a clash.
He is now rejoining fellow Wallabies squad members Nick White, Nick Champion de Crispney, Dylan Pietchu, Darcy Swain and Tom Robertson.
“Yeah, they’re going to win,” Donaldson said Wednesday from Wallabies Camp. “It’s a great experience for them and a huge challenge. You saw Brumbies win 12 years ago, so that’s not impossible.
“Everyone knows it’s going to be a big challenge for the group. A boy who’s only played a few games here might get a crack in the Force. They’re just working hard.
“I’ve come back there with them in the last two weeks of training, and they’re ripping. They’re training really hard. They’re having a bit of fun at the same time. Kurtley Beale is really enjoying the next few weeks, so we have ‘Whitey’ (Nick White) and Sam Carter.
“They’re really excited and hopefully they’ll win.”
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