Veteran Australian Kurtley Beale should get one more crack against the Lions on Saturday but still has nightmares about his first Test against them a dozen years. The 36-year-old, in line to play for Western Force against the tourists in Perth this weekend, admits he has never watched the tapes of his howler in Brisbane which cost the Wallabies the first game of the series in 2013.
Beale slipped up taking a penalty, the last kick of the match, which handed the Lions a 23-21 win in the opener and, although the Aussies won the second Test, the Lions wrapped the series up with a 41-16 thumping of the hosts in the Sydney finale.
And the full-back, who had a season at Wasps from 2016, admits that changed the way he approached goal-kicking forever, switching from moulded boots to proper ones ever since.
Beale said: “That was an embarrassing moment, but there were plenty of learnings, and from that day onwards I’ve worn studs.
“I still haven’t watched it properly but you learn from that. You put yourself in those situations at training week in, week out, right? Try and correct your wrongs and it’s just an ongoing process and I feel like I’ve done that now.
“A crucial moment in the series, wasn’t it? I was just really thankful to have strong teammates around me to pick me back up and get my focus into the next game.
“You’re always learning, even at my age. You’re continually working on your craft and goal kicking for me has always been that.”
Apart from the spell at Wasps, Beale, who has 95 caps, has played for the Waratahs and Racing 92, and signed for Force last year before an Achilles injury suffered playing for Randwick derailed his comeback.
He was also cleared of sexual assault in a Sydney court case last year and is looking to sign off his career with Perth outfit Force.
Beale added: “I didn’t really think I’d get the opportunity again but here I am. It’s just an absolute juggernaut of the game, right? The occasion, and I think on the field, the level, the intensity, the skills under pressure, it’s tenfold. It’s going to be a challenging opportunity for our guys but a big learning one as well.
“I’m kind of sharing stories to a lot of the guys here in the team, just how big it’s going to be, and just making sure that they enjoy it and embrace the week and the opportunity to play against some world-class players. The Lions may have lost against Argentina, but they will come out firing.”
Andy Farrell’s tourists fly to Brisbane on Sunday, to face the Reds next Wednesday before more outings against the Waratahs, the Brumbies and an Invitational ANZAC XV before the first Test back in Brisbane on July 19.