Theres been a fair share of negativity on here in the past couple of days due to some dirty play, so lets take a look at something good from the weekend as Kurtley Beale produced a moment of sheer genius against the Welsh. The Wallaby fullback didnt complete the job, but it's remarkable that he even got close.
Beale has come into his own of late. Still only 21, it feels as though hes been around for a very long time. He started his Super Rugby career with plenty of promise but failed to cement a regular, dominant position for himself at international level.
For the Waratahs he was thrown in at number ten at a young age and while it was clear he had incredible talent, something just wasnt right. This season however, hes found his feet at fullback for both the Tahs and the Wallabies, thriving in the position.
He admitted hes made a few lifestyle changes and now, thanks to his improved fitness and confidence, is the quickest in the Australian squad along with flyer Rod Davies and has managed to live up to that promise he showed at such an early age.
Of late there has been a few key moments for himself and his team. Against South Africa in the Tri Nations he kicked that sensational penalty from 50 out to win the game in Bloemfontein . Against the All Blacks in Hong Kong he was the one who beat two defenders as he returned the missed touch finder from Stephen Donald. Then against Wales this past weekend, he put in a fantastic Man of the Match performance.
The man is on fire, and its having a great effect on the others in the Wallaby squad. "It's infectious, any sort of positive vibe's infectious," said fellow back Drew Mitchell.
"I think he really found his feet at full-back towards the back end of the year with the Waratahs. With that came a lot of confidence and you can see it with the way he's playing now. He's playing with a lot of confidence and very instinctively but you love that. Everyone around him thrives off his enthusiasm," he added.
This moment of sheer brilliance against Wales was a fine example of what hes capable of, and how important it is that players are given the freedom to back and express themselves.
"I turned to Quade during the Welsh Test.. the try that almost happened with Kurtley. You could only look at one another and laugh at how he came up with even just getting himself in the position to potentially come up with a try like that," Mitchell said.
"The boys have had a couple of little goes at him about why he didn't score the try and he's not too happy with himself because it probably would have gone down as one of the best ever."
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