Latest news with #Kuenzle
Perth Now
22-04-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Force buzzing as Kurtley Beale nears playing return
Wallabies veteran Kurtley Beale could be back in Super Rugby Pacific action by the end of next week, and Western Force players are already feeling the buzz. Beale has been sidelined since last June after rupturing his Achilles tendon while playing club rugby. The devastating injury occurred just days after Beale had earned a dream Wallabies recall at the age of 35. Beale is now 36, but hasn't given up hope of getting back into the Wallabies reckoning in time for this year's tour of the British and Irish Lions. His first step towards that goal could happen as early as Friday next week when the fifth-placed Force take on the eighth-placed Blues in Auckland. Beale is currently training with his Force teammates in NZ ahead of Friday night's clash with the ladder-leading Chiefs at Blake Park in Mt Maunganui. "(He gives us) a massive buzz," Force back Bayley Kuenzle said of Beale. "He brings a lot of energy around the group. And what he can do on the field - it would be amazing for us. "They've got him on tour, which is great to have. "He's a potential for next week, so hopefully he gets through everything." If Beale returns next week, it would come just a fortnight after Kuenzle made his own return from a long-term injury. Kuenzle was mobbed by his Force teammates upon scoring a try during last week's 17-17 draw with the Hurricanes. It was his first Super Rugby match back since damaging his PCL and MCL in his knee as well as fracturing his leg while playing club rugby last July. Kuenzle spent the majority of his rehabilitation period alongside Beale, with the pair forming a strong bond while they made their way back from their respective devastating injuries. They are now roommates on tour. "Having KB in a similar situation was pretty good for my rehab," Kuenzle said. "We talked about our injuries together and how we get through it and our challenges and what we can work on. "It was a bad situation for both of us, but at least we got the best out of it and we're here now, and hopefully he gets a crack at it over the next couple of weeks as well." Kuenzle said Beale's return would be a big morale boost for the Force as they look to lock down a maiden finals berth. "We've got a great group of boys here and they make you feel good when you come back, and they really get around you," Kuenzle said. "I think it will be likewise for KB, when he comes back it will be awesome."
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Refreshed Force aim to prove they're the real deal
Western Force coach Simon Cron insists his team won't rest on their laurels as they prepare for what shapes as a season-defining match against the Hurricanes on Saturday night. The sixth-placed Force have never reached the finals in a full Super Rugby competition, but destiny is in their hands after going into their bye week with a 4-4 record. The Force (20 points) emerged from their bye week refreshed and in sixth spot, and Saturday's match in Perth against the eighth-placed Hurricanes (16 points) looms as a fork-in-the-road moment. After hosting the Hurricanes, the Force travel to New Zealand for games against the second-placed Chiefs and ninth-placed Blues. They finish their campaign against the Brumbies (home), Fijian Drua (away) and Waratahs (home). The Force have never been this well placed to make the finals, but Cron is fully aware it would have been even better had his team not let late leads slip on two occasions against the Reds this season. "The boys won't accept mediocrity, they won't accept average," Cron told reporters on Friday. "The point we've made in our team is that we should have been a little bit higher (on the ladder) had we executed in a couple of other games. "The last thing they will do is accept where they are now." The Force have lost Wallabies winger Dylan Pietsch (quad) for the next three to four weeks. But Bayley Kuenzle will play his first game of the Super Rugby season after recovering from a long-term knee injury. Kuenzle, the runner-up in the 2024 Nathan Sharpe medal, underwent surgery in July last year after injuring his posterior cruciate ligament and medial cruciate ligament playing club rugby. The 26-year-old usually plays flyhalf or inside centre, but he's been named on the wing against the Hurricanes. Nothin' but love for the home fans 😘Throwback to this CLUTCH 2022 try when the @westernforce stole the W away from visiting @Hurricanesrugby 😮💨Who gets bragging rights in Saturday's clash in Perth?#SuperRugbyPacific — Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) April 18, 2025 "He's really good at shutting down those outside channels, it's a real skill set," Cron said of naming Kuenzle on the wing. "Defensively, from 13 and wing, you've got a lot of space to cover and Bayley has the speed and ability to do that. "He's fast, he's powerful, and we love having him in the team. "BK, from the moment he got injured until now, he's worked so hard to get himself back into a position to get selected." Since thrashing the Waratahs 57-12 on March 28, the Hurricanes have suffered tight losses to the Blues (19-18) and Crusaders (31-24).
