By Nick Mulvenney
SYDNEY, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Kurtley Beale is back at 100 percent fitness but still waiting to discover what role Wallabies coach Michael Cheika wants him to play in next weekend's Rugby Championship decider against the All Blacks and beyond.
The gifted back won his 50th cap in a five-minute cameo off the bench against Argentina last weekend, coming on at inside centre but also playing a role as one of two fullbacks in defence.
It was an appropriate way for such a versatile player to reach a milestone after a test career which has taken him from winger to fullback to flyhalf to centre.
"It was a good five minutes but overall I thought it was a good win for the guys. They really stepped up and hopefully we can build on that," he told reporters on Sunday.
"My focus will be purely on contributing to the team, whether that be from the bench, starting or outside the 23. There's exciting times ahead."
Beale missed the end of the Super Rugby season with a quadricep injury but "blew off some cobwebs" and proved his fitness by playing 70 minutes for his club Randwick on Saturday.
The 26-year-old started the first two tests against New Zealand last year at flyhalf but by the time the third Bledisloe Cup match was played, he was suspended for his role in the scandal which led to the resignation of coach Ewen McKenzie.
He was welcomed into the Wallabies fold by Cheika, who had also brought him back to Sydney with the New South Wales Waratahs after he was sacked by the Melbourne Rebels in 2013.
Given the role Cheika has played in resurrecting his career it is perhaps natural he is prepared to wait and let the coach tell him what he wants him to do.
"I'll play anywhere I can get my hands on the ball, the inside options but if I get the opportunity to play at the back, I'll take that as well," he said.
"I haven't had that chat with Cheik yet but I'm sure he's got a plan."
Former Wallabies coach Bob Dwyer said recently that he thought Beale could have the same impact as another Randwick player, David Campese, had on his 1991 World Cup winning side.
Beale said the idea of playing as a specialist blindside winger was not unappealing.
"In the past, obviously coaches have allowed me that kind of roaming (role) and I think Cheik's got a really good understanding of that," he said.
"And I like that as well, whether that be impact off the bench or starting, allowing me to just pop up inside and outside the guys around me is a style that I really enjoy playing.
"That might be the case, being that specialist winger, but you'd do anything to get that gold jersey." (Editing by Sudipto Ganguly)