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Wasps have been boosted in their hopes for European Rugby Champions Cup success by the news star signing Kurtley Beale is likely to make his debut in their clash with Connacht on Sunday. - 08/12/2016 13:35
Wasps have been boosted in their hopes for European Rugby Champions Cup success by the news star signing Kurtley Beale is likely to make his debut in their clash with Connacht on Sunday.
Australia back Beale, who joined the Ricoh Arena outfit from New South Wales Waratahs in the summer, has been out for seven months with a serious knee injury but has returned to training ahead of his team’s Pool 2 encounter with the Irish outfit.
The English Premiership’s best-paid player has had a long road to recovery, but is set to play some part against Connacht in news which will excite the club’s supporters. Even without Beale, Wasps have been playing some of the best attacking rugby around in the English Premiership.
“Kurtley is really excited. It has been difficult for him as you can imagine,’ Wasps boss Dai Young said. “There was a lot of fanfare about us signing him and then unfortunately he got injured, which was then surrounded by questions of was it going to be a three-month, six-month or nine-month injury?
“Coming to a new club on the other side of the world injured has been difficult for Kurtley, and it is a long rehab process. In fairness to him, he has got his head down and worked his socks off.”
Whether Beale starts or not against Connacht remains to be seen, with Young stressing the mercurial back still needs to come through a few more training sessions.
“Kurtley has been so focused on getting fit and is desperate to be out there playing for us. He has been fantastic around the training ground since he arrived,” he added.
“Kurtley is really excited about being back in full training and about getting involved. He has got a couple of sessions to get through yet, but we are pretty confident that he will have some involvement on the weekend.
“If he is looking extremely confident with everything, then we will probably start him, otherwise we will put him on the bench. That is hoping he does not get any reaction through training, but at the moment, he is not having any of that so fingers crossed he will be available.”
“It will probably take him a little bit of time to settle into our patterns and get his sharpness back, but some of the touches he has done in training already, there is no denying the quality he possesses. He is a world-class player, without a shadow of a doubt.”
While Wasps are close to adding Beale to a backline that already includes Danny Cipriani and Willie le Roux, Connacht have been hit by the news they’ll lose their inspirational coach Pat Lam to Bristol for the start of next season.
That said, they’re top of Pool 2 with two wins from two so far with Wasps two points and a place behind.
Craig Ronaldson (thigh) and Marnitz Boshoff (shoulder) have added to Connacht's injury woes with Ronaldson unlikely to be seen in action until the middle of January.
Kurtley Beale enjoyed a try-scoring European Rugby Champions Cup debut as Wasps beat Connacht 32-17 to take control of Pool 2. - 11/12/2016 14:55
Kurtley Beale enjoyed a try-scoring European Rugby Champions Cup debut as Wasps beat Connacht 32-17 to take control of Pool 2.
The Australian star stretched to score on his first match for seven months, before Nathan Hughes and Joe Launchbury crossed for tries. Josh Bassett was then put in by Beale to bag the try-scoring bonus-point.
Connacht were right in the Coventry encounter after scores from Kieran Marmion and Rory Parata, but their challenge faded and they are now three points behind Wasps in the race for the quarter-finals.
The Ricoh Arena crowd turned out to see Australia superstar Beale strut his stuff on the European stage. And they did not have to wait long to see him cross the whitewash to give his new side an early lead. Beale received the ball five metres out before he spun out of a collision with Stacey Ili and stretched over the line to score. Gopperth added the extras to give the hosts an early 7-0 lead.
But Beale’s dream debut turned slightly sour when he was sin-binned for a high tackle on Niyi Adeolokun. Carty got his side on the scoreboard from the resulting penalty, before Gopperth landed one of his own.
But Pat Lam’s men fought-back to level the scores through Marmion. The pack shunted Wasps back at a scrum, before captain John Muldoon scooped up the ball and found the Ireland scrum-half, who darted over to score. However, Gopperth landed a penalty to give his men a 13-10 lead at half-time.
Dai Young's half-time team-talk clearly made a positive impression. Ashley Jonhson powered into the heart of the Connacht defence before England no.8 Hughes barged his way over the line. Gopperth's conversion is successful, and Wasps lead 20-10.
But replacement Perata made sure the game would not get away from his side when he picked off a pass from Gopperth and raced home to score at the posts. But Launchbury, who had led the defensive effort in the second-half, scored the decisive try after 64 minutes. The skipper received a long pass from Gopperth and charged over the line.
And the bonus-point was wrapped up in the final 10 minutes when Beale showed his class to put Bassett in at the corner with some deft handling.
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