Just months after making his long-awaited return from an Achilles injury, Kurtley Beale has been sidelined once again with a hamstring strain just days out from the British & Irish Lions tour opener against the Western Force on Saturday night.
Twelve years after he last lined up against the Lions for the Wallabies, Beale was set to run out for the Force in Perth on Saturday night but will instead watch on from the sidelines with Ben Donaldson released from the Wallabies squad.
Donaldson will now fly from Sydney to Perth ahead of the match.
The playmaker was originally set to miss the clash as he remained in Sydney ahead of the Wallabies-Fiji Test next weekend alongside teammates Harry Potter, Carlo Tizzano and Jeremy Williams.
He’ll now rejoin fellow Wallabies squad members Nic White, Nick Champion de Crispny, Dylan Pietsch, Darcy Swain and Tom Robertson.
“Yeah, they’ll win I reckon,” Donaldson said on Wednesday from Wallabies camp. “It’s an awesome experience for them and a great challenge. You saw the Brumbies win 12 years ago so it’s not impossible.
“Everyone knows it’s going to be a great challenge for the group, a few boys who have only played a few games here might get a crack for the Force. They’re just working hard.
“I was back there the last two weeks training with them and they’re ripping in, they’re training really hard and they’re having a bit of fun at the same time. Kurtley Beale has spoken to the group about really enjoying the next couple of weeks, so has ‘Whitey’ [Nic White] and Sam Carter.
“They’re really excited and hopefully they get the win.”
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Source: espn.com