MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The British and Irish Lions will see the familiar face of Wallaby veteran Kurtley Beale on their Australian tour, albeit later than expected.
The 95-test backline utility had been set to play for the Perth-based Western Force against the Lions in the tour-opening match Saturday but was ruled out with hamstring injury and replaced by current Wallaby squad member Ben Donaldson.
Instead, Beale was named Thursday as one of the first five players for the First Nations and Pasifika XV team set to play against the Lions in Melbourne on July 22. The Lions are in Australia for nine games including tests on July 19, 26 and Aug. 2.
Beale, who hit form for the Force this year after returning from a long-term Achilles injury, played in Australia's 2-1 series loss to the Lions in 2013.
Rob Leota, who has played 21 tests for the Wallabies, most recently at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, was also named to the Indigenous team along with Fiji-born back rower Seru Uru. Also named were Charlie Gamble, a flanker for the New South Wales Waratahs, and Andy Muirhead, who has scored 180 points in 108 games for the ACT Brumbies since 2017.
Former Australia backrower Toutai Kefu, who helped the Wallabies win the 1999 World Cup and the 2001 series against the British and Irish Lions and has been head coach of Tonga's national team, will coach the First Nations and Pasifika team. The remainder of the squad is yet to be confirmed.
Lions utility back Elliot Daly knows Beale better than most of his teammates. Beale played with Daly at English club Wasps in 2016-17 and they formed a strong friendship.
“If he didn’t get injured in that semifinal against Leicester in 2017 I think we would have won the title,” Daly said. “He came at a time when we were playing attacking rugby and he slotted in really well."
The Lions, made up of players from Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England, lost 28-24 to Argentina last week in a warmup for the tour. They will play the Wallabies in tests on July 19 in Brisbane, July 26 in Melbourne and Aug. 2 in Sydney.
The Australian section of the tour kicks off this weekend on the west coast, where Donaldson will join five other current Wallabies in the Force lineup.
“Any chance you get to play against the Lions, you probably take it with both hands," Donaldson said.
___
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
The Associated Press
