Rugby: Rugby-Australia’s Beale ruled out of July tests with Achilles injury

(Reuters) – Kurtley Beale’s hopes of a late-career return to test rugby were crushed on Monday after scans confirmed the Western Perth utility back suffered a ruptured Achilles’ tendon playing for Sydney club Randwick.

Beale, 35, had been included in Joe Schmidt’s maiden Australia squad for a two-match series against Wales starting in Sydney on Saturday and a one-off game against Georgia.

However, the 95-test veteran will now undergo surgery, the Wallabies said on Monday.

“It’s super sad and everyone is feeling for Kurtley,” Wallabies flanker Fraser McReight told reporters.

“No one ever wants to hear someone doing their Achilles or a major injury like that so everyone is feeling for him.”

Uncapped centre/winger David Feliuai has also missed the squad’s pre-test camp in Brisbane this week for personal reasons, the team added. New South Wales Waratahs centre Joey Walton has consequently been drafted into camp.

Filipo Daugunu will hope to grab a spot in the Wallabies’ midfield and play his first test since winning the last of his seven caps in a 2021 match against Wales in Cardiff.

Daugunu has played most of his career on the wings but shifted to outside centre for the Melbourne Rebels in the Super Rugby Pacific season.

“It’s made me comfortable to play 13 and wing to grow my game. I’d love to play 13 more,” said Daugunu, who will return to his former club Queensland Reds next season due to the Rebels’ financial collapse and expulsion from Super Rugby.

“It was a good chance to go down to Melbourne and to get to play 13 so I can be back in the Wallabies.”

Schmidt is expected to name his matchday squad to face Wales on Thursday, nine months on from the Wallabies’ 40-6 humiliation by the Welsh at the World Cup, Australia’s worst-ever defeat at the global tournament.

(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)