Beale: Will ARU step in?
The Australian Rugby Union may have to get involved in a bidding war for the services of Wallaby utility back Kurtley Beale.
According to a report in The Sunday Telegraph the Sydney-based Bulldogs Rugby League team wants to sign Beale for the 2015 season – which could rule him out of the Wallabies' Rugby Union World Cup campaign.
It is now up to the ARU to secure Beale for the World Cup.
Waratahs coach Michael Cheika desperately wants Beale re-signed, but is at the mercy of the ARU, who are understood to be awaiting a response from Beale on their offer for a contract extension.
Beale recently expressed his displeasure at starting on the Wallabies bench under coach Ewen McKenzie during the three-Test series against France, so it appears that game time for Australia, and money, will be his two key considerations.
It would be a devastating blow for the Wallabies and the Waratahs if they were to lose Beale, who was last year described by ARU boss Bill Pulver as "a national treasure" and is a shining beacon for indigenous players as the Ella brothers and Andrew Walker were before him.
"Because of the way the new contracting is going, it is really up to the ARU, I'm sure they understand how important it is for us to keep him," Cheika said.
"We've already lost Kane [Douglas] this year.
"I'll be doing everything I can to make sure I try to influence whoever is listening to do their best to keep him. But I'm not going to worry about something I'm not doing.
"I'm not going to kill myself over something I'm not doing, if I was doing it, then hopefully it would have been done by now already.
"But obviously they're looking at things in a certain way, so I've just got to try to influence whoever I can over there to make sure that's done.
"I've tried already, I've spoken to the relevant people.
"I'm not seeing it in a negative fashion, like there is a problem. Obviously whatever is happening in the negotiation is taking a bit of extra time."
Source: Fox Sport
