A 37-year-old answers the call
Kurtley Beale is returning to the Wallabies. The 37-year-old, who owns 95 Test caps, has been added to the squad for the November Nations Championship matches after Hunter Paisami withdrew for personal reasons. If Beale gets on the field, it will be his first Test since the 2021 match against Wales in Cardiff, a gap of five years. The last time he was named in a Wallabies group was 2024, and an Achilles injury ended his season before he could play.
Coach Les Kiss says Beale will primarily cover inside centre, though he can fill several spots across the backline. Beale has played centre, fly-half and full-back across his career and also brings goal-kicking. Kiss pointed to his form for the Western Force in Super Rugby Pacific and Super Rugby AUS as the reason for the call.
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Why the need is real
Australia has been hit repeatedly at fly-half in 2026, which makes a playmaker with Beale’s experience more valuable than his age suggests. Two other additions round out the changes. James Ramm, a 28-year-old outside back who can play full-back or wing, starred in Northland’s NPC final run, has spent time at Northampton and joins the Western Force ahead of the 2027 season. Kalani Thomas comes in at scrum-half after finishing with Australia A in the United States, because Tate McDermott is expected home in November for the birth of his first child.
The final group has 19 forwards and 16 backs. Charlie Cale, Josh Flook, Langi Gleeson, Jake Gordon, Hunter Paisami, Matt Philip, Pete Samu and Will Skelton are all unavailable.
The November schedule
Australia open against England at Allianz Stadium in London on November 8, then travel to Murrayfield to face Scotland on November 15. The tour finishes against Wales in Cardiff on November 21, the same ground where Beale played his last Test.
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