Kurtley Beale Proves Doubters Wrong as Ex-All Black Learns a Lesson, but Force Fall Short Against Blues at Eden Park

Former All Blacks hooker James Parsons had a moment of humility after Kurtley Beale emphatically proved him wrong with an outstanding comeback performance in Super Rugby Pacific on Friday night.

The seasoned Wallabies star, Beale, shone at fullback for the Western Force during his first match in 10 months, following a ruptured Achilles tendon sustained while playing for Randwick last year.

At 36, Beale contemplated retirement after that significant injury but chose to confront the demanding rehabilitation instead.

Beale is setting his sights on a surprising return to the Test arena against the British and Irish Lions, and Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt surely took note of his sharp performance, highlighted by a try in the left corner at Eden Park.

“Kurtley Beale, I’ll admit, I thought he might have been past it,” Parsons remarked during Stan Sport’s coverage. “But his interactions with the wingers have been exceptional. He’s definitely putting his hand up, he played really well… I’ll gladly eat humble pie tonight – he looked sharp.”

Other Wallabies hopefuls, Carlo Tizzano and Harry Potter, also maintained their solid form, but it wasn’t quite enough against the reigning champions, the Blues.

Beauden Barrett made a strong return to the Blues’ No.10 jersey, directing the team to a 40-19 victory that felt tighter than the score suggests.

This result propelled the Blues past the Force into sixth place on the ladder, with the Perth club now on the outside looking in for the playoffs.

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Barrett’s kicking consistently troubled the Force, paving the way for winger Cole Forbes to score two of the Blues’ six tries.

Flanker Tizzano and hooker Nic Dolly also contributed to the Force’s scoreboard.

“Great to be back, mate, but disappointing in the end, the Blues really turned it on,” Beale commented.

“The boys are pretty disappointed, so it’s back to the drawing board. I felt a bit of butterflies out there, but that’s rugby for you—it’s what we adore about the game,” he added.

“The game is evolving, it’s becoming fitter, faster, and stronger, but I relished the challenge. I love the game’s unpredictability, especially when you’re up against a top side like the Blues at the holy grail of rugby, Eden Park, which is rather special.”

The Force will now regroup ahead of their next fixture against the ACT Brumbies on May 10.

“We were perhaps a bit too frantic in our attacking zone and made several errors by spilling the ball,” said Force captain Jeremy Williams. “It’s quite slippery out there and maintaining ball security was crucial. Early in the first half, we were fighting hard, but there were lapses in concentration that allowed them to get away from us.

“It’s a disappointing scoreline. We have a fantastic squad, and we’ll learn from this experience and move forward.”