Wallabies assistant coach Laurie Fisher has confirmed Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii will definitely tour Europe next month but it remains to be seen with which team.
The Wallabies have a daunting Spring Tour Grand Slam schedule with Tests against England (November 10 AEDT), Wales (November 18), Scotland (November 25) and Ireland (December 1).
And a second string Australia XV is also heading to the United Kingdom for games against the Bristol Bears (November 9 AEDT) and England A (November 18).
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They shape as ideal fixtures to ease Suaalii back into rugby, a sport he excelled at as a schoolboy before playing in the NRL.
But Rugby Australia and the Wallabies staff must also weigh the merits of Suaalii getting consistent training time under coach Joe Schmidt and alongside the country’s elite players.
“He’ll definitely be on the tour, which side he’ll be in or start in, I’m not certain at this stage,” Fisher told reporters on Tuesday.
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“But he’ll definitely be over there and he’s obviously a huge part of the plan moving forward.”
Wallabies hopefuls from the Waratahs and Brumbies trained in Canberra on Monday and Tuesday and Reds and Force candidates will do the same in Brisbane on Thursday and Friday.
The Wallabies and Australia XV squads will be named next week.
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Fisher said Suaalii had made an immediate impression.
“He’s a really nice young man. He’s an excellent athlete,” he said.
“He’s a quick learner and he’s hungry to be successful. He doesn’t overcomplicate the game which fits in with what we want to do.
“We talk a lot about eyes and feet, about being able to see the threats in defence, the opportunities in attack and then use your feet to get to where you need to go and that suits him down to the ground. It’s not about point A to point B to point C.
“It’s about opportunities and threats, shutting them down, opening them up. I think he’ll be fantastic at that.”
Waratahs five-eighth Tane Edmed also spoke to reporters at the AIS on Tuesday after returning from a strong season in New Zealand’s NPC with North Harbour.
Edmed is already licking his lips at the prospect of firing passes to Suaalii for both NSW and Australia.
“He’s slipped in really nicely,” Edmed said.
“I’m really excited about what he can do once he learns the intricacies of rugby, which won’t be too foreign to him…
“It probably won’t take him too long. He’s a natural athlete.
“He’s got his head on his shoulders, well and truly, he’s intuitive.
“He’s looking to learn every session and at the end of the day he’s a great football player, so I don’t think it’ll take him too long.
“And being an outside back, I don’t think there’s a whole lot different. I think he’s going to be just fine.”
Suaalii told media on Monday that he was happy to play in the centres, on the wing or at fullback.
Suaalii played first XV for The King’s School in Sydney and was a star of the Australian under-18 team that beat New Zealand Schools in 2019.
That side also included current Wallabies Zane Nonggorr, Billy Pollard, Josh Flook and Tom Hooper.
Edmed said there was no jealousy or resentment towards Suaalii’s monster contract, which makes him the highest paid player in Australia before pulling on the boots for a senior game.
“Oh, mate, I think he’s earned it, to be honest with you,” Edmed said.
“No-one’s going to hold any hard feelings against him for it, you know – he’s earned that. If he came in here and he wasn’t a good bloke and he didn’t work that hard… but, mate, he’s a great man.
“Super mature. You can tell why he’s gotten to this level that he has, because he’s not just a talent, you know, you can see he wants to work hard. We’re all happy to have him.
“I think he’s going to be a massive asset to the Waratahs and then hopefully the Wallabies in the future.”
