Rugby: Beale may shine in Wallabies No 10 spot

Quade Cooper is yet to demonstrate his potential. Photo / Richard Robinson

Australia has had some talented backs but not all have had long test careers

Kurtley Beale's selection at No 10 for the Wallabies tonight has sparked plenty of debate. Rumour is that the All Blacks believe the experienced test utility can be intimidated off his game, and coach Steve Hansen's disparaging comments appear designed to undermine Beale's confidence.

Beale has the gifts to do an outstanding job, but does he have the head for the test heights? This is a move that can go in two extremely different ways.

Australia has a tradition of producing rare backs like Beale, men with freakish skills capable of overwhelming opponents. Some have soared to the rugby heights, while others have crashed. Here's a sample.

1. Mark Ella
Shooting star by modern test numbers, but he was way more than that. Only played 25 tests before quitting in his mid-20s. So few tests, so much written about him. Many good judges rate Ella, a flat-attack pioneer, their all-time favourite player. A crowd-thrilling genius and gold standard rugby legend.

2. David Campese
A wing who literally did wing it. Gave us the goose step, and rugby heads still get goose bumps remembering the great Campo. At his best, untouchable. And then there were his famous stuff ups. Lucky we got to see his genius before error-counts became the rage.

3. Stephen Larkham
Magician meets tactician, with the coolest head in the business thrown in for good measure. A beautiful runner, Larkham took the ball-playing arts to a new level because they were central to his teams' methods rather than a fancy addition. The man was a miracle.

4. Quade Cooper
A flawed wizard who has yet to show a head to match his amazing hands and feet. Currently injured, Cooper may be finding those feet at a late-ish age but has yet to dispel the notion he remains an accident waiting to happen in test rugby. A story told, or one yet to unfold?'

5. Lloyd Walker
Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie describes Walker, a late 80s test curio, as the first great playmaker he encountered. McKenzie told the Sydney Morning Herald Walker could "cast spells on the defence", raving about his sleight of hand. Also lauded by the legendary Mark Ella, Walker's sedate style wasn't treasured so much by the selectors.

6. David Knox
A long test career that never took off - 13 tests in 13 years, starting in the mid-1980s. This guy could really play ... and get up people's noses. A crazy character on and off the field. After one impressive test performance, he apparently went missing for five days. Able to destroy opponents but perhaps his own worst enemy.

7. Kenny Wright
What a step, and lightning quick as befitting a beach sprint champ. The 1978 Eden Park test will always belong to Greg Cornelsen, the No 8 who scored four tries. But little Kenny Wright's shimmy to create one of them was the individual highlight. Headed to league before he had made a real mark in rugby.

8. Brett Papworth
Amazing talent with the potential to be one of the best, but signed to league after 15 tests where his career became a famous injury wreck.