Latest news with #FirstNationsXV
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Kurtley Beale to lead First Nations & Pasifika XV against Lions in Melbourne
Former Wallabies playmaker Kurtley Beale has been selected to lead the First Nations & Pasifika XV, which will debut against the British & Irish Lions in Melbourne in a new fixture hoped to become a rugby union tradition. Beale, a Darug man with Kamilaroi ancestry, is set to take the field alongside Rob Leota of Samoan and New Zealand descent, Fiji-born Reds backrower Seru Uru, Waratahs flanker Charlie Gamble, who has Tongan background, and Brumbies winger Andy Muirhead, a proud Barunggam man. These are the first five players selected to wear a jersey designed by Wiradjuri man and Wallabies winger Dylan Pietsch, and given licence to entertain at Marvel Stadium next month. Beale, 36, who was part of the Wallabies side for the 2013 Lions tour – has returned from an achilles injury for the Western Force this year, but will not play in his club's match against the Lions on Saturday due to a hamstring complaint, and has just four weeks to recover before the First Nations & Pasifika XV clash. Tongan-born former Wallaby Toutai Kefu is coaching the team and said Beale's injury was 'slight' and he expected him to play. Now coaching in Japan, Kefu will be joined on the coaching panel by Wallabies legends Sekope Kepu and Glen Ella, as well former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga, whose parents are Samoan. Kefu said his players are looking forward to the chance to honour their communities and heritage as part of the Lions tour. 'We're all brothers that originated from the Pacific Ocean,' he said. 'The sea is what connects all of us, and we've had this great opportunity, not only to play together, but to represent Pasifika players and First Nations players that have played here in Australia in the past.' While Fiji is a world force in sevens, the national teams of Samoa and Tonga – which Kefu coached for six years – are yet to have the same impact on international rugby union as they have in rugby league, where Samoa reached the 2021 World Cup final and Tonga has beaten New Zealand twice in the past decade. Kefu said there were ways to help Pacific nations without threatening the integrity of the international game, and believes eligibility rules should be relaxed to assist countries outside the top tier. 'Obviously, there's a whole [lot of] other details involved, but I think it's going to make the game better,' he said. The invitational side was conceived following the demise of the Melbourne Rebels, which were due to play the Lions in Melbourne as part of the tour contract with Rugby Australia and the Victorian government. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion Muirhead said he was looking forward to sharing understanding of culture with his teammates in preparation for the match. 'We're all very passionate about culture, there's obviously some similarities between all of us, and I think the great thing about rugby is that you get to connect anyway,' he said. He said more effort was needed to assist young Indigenous players break through into the professional ranks, but this event – similar to the annual NRL Indigenous All-Stars match – was a great chance to platform elite First Nations talent. 'Having a game like this where young boys and girls see, not only Indigenous but Pasifika players come together, might motivate them,' he said.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kurtley Beale among first 5 selected for Indigenous squad to play the British and Irish Lions
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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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:
