While Queenslanders wait anxiously to hear who will cough up the estimated $217,000 it will cost to release Quade Cooper from his deal with French club Toulon, so the Wallabies playmaker may sign a four-year deal with the ARU and Queensland, another contract negotiation is bubbling along nicely.
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Kurtley Beale played his 100th provincial game for NSW last week and made it clear he wanted to wear the sky blue again next year.
The sticking point, the Breakdown understands, is that Beale is a man in want of a flexible contract. With young gun Bernard Foley off to Japan after the World Cup and dual international Israel Folau in line for the same, Beale has also put his hand up for his own slice of the offshore action.
But will the Waratahs and Australian Rugby Union grant him his wish?
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika was not pleased about Foley's deal, which was first brokered by his predecessor Ewen McKenzie. He has been a vocal advocate for shaking up Australia's contracting system but has reservations about the toll of endless seasons on the country's best players.
The Waratahs have their reservations too. The last time the 26-year-old moved away from his family and friends in Sydney, to join the Rebels, his form and personal life went off the rails. He has found equilibrium back home, under the guidance of Cheika. But the events of last year prove it is a delicate balancing act for Beale. He has spoken at length before about finally learning which circumstances bring out his best – proximity to his family, a coach he respects and trusts.
Beale is older and wiser and well settled, living literally across the road from Allianz Stadium. But is he old or wise enough to handle life in Japan? As any player who has spent time there will tell you, it is not everyone's cup of tea. There is a lot of training, but not much rugby, and yet players are regarded as company employees and required to put in long hours at the club. The language and culture barrier can be extremely isolating if players choose not to embrace it and, depending on your location, there is not much to do in many of the vast satellite towns in which the clubs are based.
There is one other element to this that the ARU, in particular, has to weigh. Flexible contracts have been framed as rewards for contribution as much as recognition of a player's value. There will be large sections of rugby supporters who see Beale's lamentable text message saga last year as precisely the sort of behaviour that should not be rewarded with the ARU's greatest – notwithstanding a $217,000 contract bailout – gesture of goodwill: a flexible contract.
Beale is a good young man and a player of enormous value to Australian rugby. Cheika is one of his greatest supporters and the Waratahs have provided an environment in which their prodigal son has flourished. Can any of them – can Beale, most importantly – afford to risk it all again?
Latu's Tweet surrender
As if a four-week ban wasn't enough, promising Waratahs hooker Tolu Latu found himself in hot water off the field in Sydney while his teammates battled away in South Africa last week.
Latu woke up at 3am on Sunday morning to watch, helpless, while the Waratahs lost 27-22 to the Lions at Ellis Park, voicing his frustrations in a Tweet calling referee Jaco Peyper a "16th man" on the field for the Lions.
It took a couple of days but the long arm of SANZAR caught up to him, asking that the Tweet be deleted and reminding the 22-year-old of his obligations under the code of conduct to refrain from criticising match officials.
Latu's social media profiles were switched to private this week, but it is assumed the offending Tweet was removed.
Roach family frenzy
Better news for Latu's replacement, Hugh Roach, whose proud father took to Twitter to sing his son's praises this week.
Roach was literally thrown to the Lions at the weekend, making his starting debut for the Waratahs with four days' notice after two seasons toiling behind Latu and Wallaby No.2 Tatafu Polota-Nau.
He played out the 80 minutes and topped the tackle count for the defending champions – a fact proudly pointed out to the Breakdown by a "Graham Roach" this week.
When the Breakdown inquired about his relationship to the Waratahs player, Roach Snr happily confessed.
"Did my bias show? Youngest of our four. Had a blast at home on Sunday AM with all the crew cheering and whistling!" Graham Roach said.
Another big performance is required by Hugh this weekend. But with support like that at home, how can he go wrong.
Kellaway sets the tone
Plenty of promising signs for the Waratahs in the post-Cheika era, not least of all Andrew Kellaway's impressive milestone at the U20s World Championships in Italy this week.
Kellaway set an international U20s try-scoring record with his 11th try during Australia's 34-22 win against Samoa. The team, which also includes Super Rugby squaddies Jonah Placid, Campbell Magnay, Lolo Fakaosilea and Adam Korczyk, face Italy on Sunday in a game broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 at 4.30am.
Twitter: @geerob
