Suspended rugby star Kurtley Beale will stand trial accused of sexually assaulting a woman after an alleged incident at a Sydney licensed premises.
The 34-year-old pleaded not guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent and two counts of sexual touching when he appeared at the Downing Centre District Court on Thursday.
A further charge of inciting another to sexually touch the alleged victim was withdrawn by prosecutors.
Beale, who is on bail, is accused of sexually assaulting the 28-year-old woman at the Beach Road Hotel near Bondi Beach late at night on December 17 last year and early in the morning the following day.
The matter will come before the District Court on July 14 where further steps will be made to set down the trial.
Magistrate Susan Horan also continued an interim AVO against Beale with this coming back before the courts on November 15.
On that date, a judge will consider whether the AVO needs to be continued in light of the verdict at trial.
Outside court, Beale said he was devastated to be there.
“I’m not guilty. The allegation has been falsely (brought) against me and the truth will come out,” he said.
The gifted Waratahs and Wallabies playmaker has 95 Australian caps.
He won the 2011 John Eales medal for player of the year.
Because of the legal proceedings Rugby Australia suspended Beale from all forms of rugby in January, a week after he took part in a 44-man Wallabies training camp.
Beale was expected to be given a fresh lease of life under re-appointed Wallabies coach Eddie Jones after being omitted from Dave Rennie's squad for the spring tour to Europe.
Beale last year returned to Australia after a spell at French club Racing 92 and in October he and wife Maddi celebrated the birth of their first son.
Jones has long talked in glowing terms of the veteran's unique gifts on the field.
"Kurtley is the most wonderfully gifted player,'' he has said.
"He does things other players don’t even dream of."
