Western Force utility back Kurtley Beale is loving his time in the west and insists the belief is there that the side can continue on their winning ways to qualify for the Super Rugby Pacific finals.
The Force secured back-to-back wins with Saturday’s 27-7 victory over Beale’s former side, the NSW Waratahs, moving the side within two points of the top eight with two rounds to play.
The WA club have won their past four home games but next up it’s a test on the road against the fifth-placed Queensland Reds in Round 14 at Suncorp Stadium.
Beale, 35, joined the Force in April after 12 months out of the game and said there was a good feeling among the playing group as they look to extend their recent momentum towards a finals push.
“I’m loving the group,” Beale told reporters on Monday. “They’re a young group, they’re vibrant, they want to learn.
“You’ve got some really good senior guys, Nic White, Wellsy (Michael Wells), you’ve got Jeremy Williams, the captain is leading by example.
“There’s a really good harmony around the group, which is great to be a part of, and it’s a credit to the guys to have a really nice culture to be a part of here and it makes playing a lot easier.”
The 95-cap Wallaby is hopeful that harmony and positivity can help propel them towards the top eight.
“Obviously it’s a goal of ours, as a squad,” Beale said about making finals. “We’ve got to switch our focus on a week-to-week basis.
“It’s great to be able to put two wins back-to-back but knowing there’s some big challenges ahead.
“I think if we can just focus on the process and one game at a time, hopefully the outcome can work itself out and that is to play finals footy. It’s important for us to maintain this momentum now.”
The Reds, who lost 28-19 to the Fijian Drua last round, have a 4-2 home record this season and Beale was aware of their threat.
“They’re coming off a loss to Fiji in Fiji,” he said. “They’ll be ready, they’ll be firing.
“We know the Reds are one of the form Australian teams this year. They’re playing some really good rugby. They just grow an extra leg when they play at Suncorp.
“We understand the challenge ahead as a squad but knowing that if we can get our own backyard sorted and focus on the detail that’s required … (we can) hopefully put on a performance that we’re proud of.
“There’s a few missed opportunities that we had against the Waratahs on the weekend. That allows us to have that growth mentality, to re-focus and re-set, to concentrate on putting on a special performance against the Reds.”
On a personal level, Beale and wife Maddi are due to welcome their second child into the world on Wednesday, and he said his young family is loving life in Perth.
“It’s a beautiful city,” he said. “It’s a great club, great people, everyone’s all wanting to push forward for success.
“I’m just loving being back playing rugby. The Force are a great club and from the administration down to the players, everyone’s so supportive and very helpful to me and my family.
“We’re loving our time here. It’s great to be able to have an opportunity to play some rugby. I haven’t been able to play back-to-back games for over a year.”
Beale also still harbour international ambitions but knows club form and leading the Force into the finals is the key to boosting those aspirations.
“It’s definitely a desire (to play for Australia again), but I know I’ve just got to keep playing some footy now, and I’m doing that here at the Force and trying to have an impact here,” he said.
“Pushing the team to a finals series is my main focus at the moment and if I’m doing that well, then we’ll see how that next step goes.”
The Force will travel to Brisbane on Thursday for Saturday’s game against the Reds from 5:35pm WST live on 9GEM and Stan Sport.
The WA club will host the ACT Brumbies on Saturday 1 June in the final round, with tickets available via Ticketmaster, along with the Force’s Flexi Membership, with four tickets to the Round 15 game for only $75.
