Australia v Fiji, Canberra, June 5
Deans admits to Beale court concern
Scrum.com
June 1, 2010
The Waratahs' Kurtley Beale celebrates his side's victory over the Hurricanes, Waratahs v Crusaders, Super 14, Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia, May 14, 2010
Kurtley Beale could yet be in trouble with the law © Getty Images
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Players/Officials: Kurtley Beale | Robbie Deans
Tournaments/Tours: Super 14

Robbie Deans has admitted that his decision to hand Kurtley Beale the fullback jersey for the Wallabies' first Test of the season was partly influenced by a court date hanging over the Waratahs youngster's head.

Beale is due in court on Monday to answer assault charges arising from an incident in July 2009, with the uncertainty surrounding his availability leading Deans to grant him a first Test start against Fiji on Saturday rather than a place in the Australian Barbarians side to face England on Tuesday.

''Kurtley has a court case next Monday, and we were keen to get him under way,'' Deans told WA Today. ''And that was going to make it difficult in terms of Tuesday's fixture, so we made the conscious decision to give him a start through his performances.

''That manifested itself with Adam Ashley-Cooper going on to the wing and Drew Mitchell on the bench. But Kurtley has still earned the right for a starting spot. We'll have to wait and see what happens next Monday, because he may not be available to us from that point on. But hopefully it will go well, and he will be with us by Monday night."

Beale made his Test debut as a replacement against Wales in November 2009 and has enjoyed a superb season with the Tahs, helping them to a semi-final finish in the Super 14.

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