Kurtley Beale facts for kids
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 6 January 1989 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 184 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 90 kg (198 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kurtley James Beale (born 6 January 1989) is an Australian professional rugby union player. He has played over 90 times for the Australian national team, known as the Wallabies. Kurtley is from an Aboriginal background. He has had a long career in Super Rugby with the New South Wales Waratahs. He also played for the Melbourne Rebels and the Wasps club in England. Beale usually plays as a full-back or centre. He can also play as a fly-half or winger. In 2011, Kurtley received the John Eales Medal. This award is given to Australia's best rugby player of the year.
Contents
Early Life & School Rugby
Kurtley Beale was born in Blacktown, New South Wales. He grew up in Mount Druitt in Western Sydney. When he was younger, Kurtley played junior rugby league. Later, he switched to rugby union.
He went to St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill ("Joeys"). He played for the school's top team for three years. From 2004 to 2006, Beale was chosen for the New South Wales and Australian Schoolboys rugby teams. In 2006, he was captain for both the Joeys team and the Australian Schoolboys. He even trained with the NSW Waratahs from age 15. He signed with the Waratahs when he was just 16. At 17, he was invited to his first Wallabies training camp.
Professional Rugby Career
Beale first played senior rugby for the Northern Suburbs club. In 2007, he became the starting fly-half for the Western Sydney Rams. He played every game that season. The Rams finished first in their league. Kurtley was a top try scorer and helped set up many tries. He won the 2007 player of the tournament award.
In June 2013, Beale played for Randwick. He had also played for Randwick in 2010.
New South Wales Waratahs
First Years: 2007–2011
Beale played his first senior game for New South Wales in January 2007. It was a trial game against the ACT. He came off the bench and scored a memorable try. NSW won the game 12–0. Two weeks later, he helped set up the winning try against the Crusaders.
His coach, Ewen McKenzie, wanted to take his time with Beale. But just two weeks later, Kurtley started his first game as fly-half. This was against the Sharks in South Africa. In his second start, Beale scored another amazing try. He chipped the ball over defenders and took it from the fullback to score.
Beale became the Waratahs' main fly-half in 2008. He also started kicking goals for the team. For the 2010 season, Beale moved to play at full-back.
Return to the Waratahs
Winning the Super Rugby Title: 2014–2016
After playing for the Melbourne Rebels, Beale signed a new deal with the Waratahs for 2014. He played as an inside centre in every game during the 2014 Super Rugby season. His teamwork with Israel Folau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, and Bernard Foley was very important. In the final against the Crusaders, he helped set up two tries for Adam Ashley-Cooper. This helped the Waratahs win the Super Rugby title 33–32.
Later Seasons: 2017–2020
Kurtley continued to play for the Waratahs. He was an important player for the team.
Third Time Home: 2022–2023
In February 2022, it was announced that Beale would return to the New South Wales Waratahs. This was after he finished playing for Racing 92 in Paris. This return would allow Beale to try and play in his fourth World Cup for Australia. He started playing for the Waratahs again in the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season.
Melbourne Rebels
Playing for the Rebels: 2012–2013
Beale signed a two-year deal to play for the Melbourne Rebels starting in 2012. His teammates included other national players like James O'Connor. He began the 2012 season at full-back. Later, he switched to fly-half. With Beale's help, the Rebels played some of their best games. They had a close loss to the Bulls. The next week, the Rebels beat the strong Crusaders. Beale kicked two conversions and three penalties in that game.
Rod Macqueen, a former Rebels coach, said that Beale brought something special to the team as a fly-half. He believed Beale helped shape the team's play on the field.
During a tour in South Africa in 2013, Beale faced disciplinary action. He was sent home early from the tour. In July 2013, the Rebels removed Beale from their team.
Wasps RFC
Playing in England: 2016–2017
In May 2016, Beale agreed to join the English club Wasps RFC. He signed a one-year contract. Soon after, he got a serious knee injury. He made his Wasps debut in the European Champions Cup. He scored a try in that game. During his time at Wasps, he played 12 games in the Aviva Premiership. He scored 4 tries in these games. He also played 5 European Champions Cup games, scoring 1 try. He missed the 2016/17 Premiership final due to an injury in the semi-final.
Racing 92
Playing in France: 2020–2022
Beale joined the Top 14 rugby team, Racing 92, in France. He signed a two-year deal starting from the 2020–21 season. Beale played his first game for Racing against Lyon on 6 September 2020. Racing won the match 23–27. In his third game for Racing, he came on as a substitute in the 2020 European Rugby Champions Cup Final. Racing lost the final 31–27 to the Exeter Chiefs.
In his first season, Beale played an important role for Racing. He played twenty-five matches and scored 38 points. He mostly played as a full-back. In his second season, he continued to play for Racing. In a 2021–22 European Rugby Champions Cup game, he made a quick run and pass that led to a try. He also had a try assist in that game.
Western Force
Joining the Force: 2024
After being out of the game for a while, Beale signed with the Perth-based Super Rugby team, the Western Force. He joined them in April 2024. This was an injury replacement deal for the rest of the 2024 season.
International Rugby for Australia
.jpg)
Early Wallabies Career: 2007–2011
Beale made his Australia A debut in the 2007 Pacific Nations Cup. He scored his first try in a win against Samoa. Soon after, Beale almost made the team for the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
He made his official test debut in 2009. He played on the wing as a substitute in Australia's win over Wales. In 2010, Beale had a great year in international rugby. He scored two tries against Fiji. He finished the year with seven tries from 12 test matches.
In 2011, Beale won the John Eales Medal. This award is for Australia's best rugby player of the year. He was also nominated for the IRB International Player of the Year Award. He was part of the Australian team for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. He was expected to be the starting full-back. However, he missed the semi-final against the All Blacks due to a hamstring injury.
Later Test Career: 2012–2019
Beale played full-back for Australia against Wales in Sydney in 2012. He also played in three tests of the 2012 Rugby Championship. After some games at full-back, he was moved to fly-half. He played fly-half in a loss to the Springboks. He was also selected at fly-half against Argentina. In that game, he helped set up a try for Digby Ioane. Beale also played fly-half in a draw against the All Blacks.
On the 2012 Spring Tour, he played fly-half in all of Australia's games. In the final match against Wales, Beale kicked three penalty goals. He also scored the try that won the match.
In 2013, Beale was chosen to play for Australia against the British & Irish Lions. He played full-back in the final two tests of the series. After the series, he had shoulder surgery and missed the rest of the year.
In 2014, Beale played in all three test matches against France. He came off the bench for Australia. He scored a try in the first match. He also helped set up a try for Michael Hooper in the third test. Beale's good season with the Waratahs helped him become the starting fly-half for Australia. This was for the first two Bledisloe Cup matches against New Zealand.
Beale played at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. He was very important in Australia's journey to the final. The Wallabies reached the final but lost to New Zealand 32–17. In 2016, Beale did not play against England. This was because he was playing for Wasps and did not meet the rules for overseas players.
Beale returned to play for Australia in 2017. He made his comeback against Japan in a big win. He also helped Australia extend their winning streak against Wales. However, they lost to England and Scotland. Beale scored a try in the loss to Scotland.
He played inside centre against Ireland in 2018. Australia lost the series 2–1. Australia also lost the Bledisloe Cup to the All Blacks for the 16th year in a row.
Kurtley was chosen for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. The Wallabies were knocked out in the quarter-final against England. After this, Beale signed with Racing 92 in France.
Return to Test Rugby: 2020–2021
Beale played well for Racing 92. He was not chosen for the Wallabies in 2020. However, in 2021, due to an injury to another player, Beale was called back to the Wallabies. He was named on the bench against Scotland.
Personal Life
Indigenous Heritage
Kurtley Beale is proud of his Aboriginal identity. He was born and raised in Dharug country. His mother is from the Kamilaroi nation in New South Wales. Beale grew up playing rugby league. He looked up to Indigenous players like Greg Inglis and Johnathan Thurston. He has talked about how rugby union is different from other sports in Australia. Other sports like NRL and AFL have more Indigenous players.
Beale has worked to connect with his heritage. He said a visit to the Tiwi Islands in 2011 was an "awakening." This visit helped him learn more about his background. He has since said he is a "proud indigenous man."
In 2017, Beale showed the Wallabies' first ever Indigenous jersey. This made rugby union the first sport in Australia with an Indigenous jersey at the national level. He also introduced the Waratahs' Indigenous jersey in 2019. Beale has said that returning to Australian rugby was partly to be a role model for Indigenous children.
Family Life
Kurtley Beale married his long-time partner, Maddi Bloomberg, in 2020.
|
See also
In Spanish: Kurtley Beale para niños
