One of the expected stars of the 2013 Lions tour faces a race against time to be fit for the start of the new southern hemisphere season.
Kurtley Beale appears set to be certain starter for the Wallabies when the Lions come calling next year but his current focus is on returning to action as soon as possible following a hamstring problem.
The 23-year-old full back hasn’t played since the Bronze Medal Match against Wales in the recent World Cup, having initially sustained the injury in the quarter-final win over South Africa.
Beale, who has just joined the Melbourne Rebels from the NSW Waratahs, missed the win over Wales in Cardiff in early December and will now sit out all of his new team’s pre-season fixtures and at least the opening round of Super 15 action.
"The hammy’s coming along really well, it's the body that's not reacting as well and as strong as I'd like," Beale told AAP.
"The loading has been pretty intense so I've got to ease my way back into it and really recover after some long sessions.
"Some guys react to different training loads and for me, it's unfortunate that I'm not really reacting as promisingly as I'd like.
"We'll see how we go because the trials are just trials and the main focus for me is to get fully fit for round two against the Waratahs."
Beale has been in sensational form for the Wallabies since making the No15 shirt his own in 2010 when he scored seven tries in 12 Tests.
Last year was equally impressive as the former fly-half cum centre cemented his status as the world’s leading full back with a nomination for the IRB World Player of the Year Award.
