Joseph Suaalii has Wallabies dreaming of 24-year first and erasing millions of debt
Joseph Suaalii’s fairytale Wallabies debut has the game’s governing body and even the most cynical of fans daring to dream of the unthinkable.
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A Wallabies win over England at Twickenham and Joseph Suallii’s promising debut has optimistic Aussie rugby fans dreaming of a series win over the British and Irish Lions next year.
Given his starting debut by coach Joe Schmidt, Suaalii impressed on debut for the Wallabies, looking right at home in the centres alongside Len Ikitau, who threw the flick pass to Max Jorgensen for the matchwinning try in the 84th minute.
There is a long way to go in the Spring Tour, with games to come against Wales, Scotland and Ireland, but the dream of a first grand slam sweep since 1984 is alive for now.
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Speaking before Suallii’s debut, Rugby Australia’s chief commercial officer James Durbin was confident the 21-year-old would have an impact in the 15-man code.
“When he gets on the pitch I have absolutely no doubt he’ll make a significant impact,” Durbin told news.com.au at the unveiling of the Lions’ Canterbury jersey ahead of the 2025 series.
“He’s an incredible talent, he played a lot of schoolboy rugby so he knows the game, has a good head for the game.
“We’ve seen what he can do the last couple of years in rugby league, I have no doubt he can do a similar thing for rugby union.
“Really exciting opportunity for him if he gets a game, which I’m sure he will get some time on this tour and then with the Waratahs come February in Super Rugby season, will be really exciting.”
Suaalii is contracted with Rugby Australia (RA) until the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup, which will be held on home soil for the first time since 2003.
The home series against the British and Irish Lions and the 2027 World Cup represents a lucrative opportunity for RA to turn a profit again after posting a $9.2 million deficit in 2023.
The governing body set up a $80m loan facility last year to be “a short-term bridge to RA’s major revenue events on the horizon in the 2025 British & Irish Lions Tour and home Rugby World Cups in 2027 and 2029”.
The Wallabies’ jersey for the 2025 Lions series was revealed last month, featuring a dark green colour in a throwback to jerseys from the 1990s and early 2000s.
Israel Folau debuted for the Wallabies in 2013 against the Lions and was player of the match in the series opener in Melbourne with two tries. The Wallabies lost that series 2-1.
Suaalii has leaned on Folau for advice as he looks to follow in his footsteps of the cross-code stars like the former fullback and Sonny Billy Williams.
Australia haven’t won a series against the Lions since 2001 when the Wallabies were last at the peak of their powers.
Tickets for the three Wallabies vs Lions matches in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane are virtually sold out already.
Durbin said rugby union in Australia had gone through significant change in a push to for the national team to become “the Wallabies of old”.
“When Phil Waugh came in as CEO just over 12 months ago, he created an entire reset of rugby in Australia, both on and off the field,” Durbin said.
“I think there’s been some really critical appointments in terms of on field – Peter Horne, who’s our director of rugby, Joe Schmidt coming in as head coach – that’s tracking in a very positive direction.
“We’ve seen the progress of the team over the last six months or so under Joe.”
Despite poor results on the field, notably being knocked out in the group stage of last year’s World Cup under Eddie Jones, RA has weathered a commercial storm.
Asics, Cadbury and Santos have remained as the code’s major sponsors in a show of faith in RA.
“Off the field, we’ve had some fantastic support commercially,” Durbin added.
“Cadbury has re-signed through to 2029 and the support from our commercial partners, but more than just them, it’s the fans as well.
“We’ve had record breaking crowds over the last six months.
“They’re (fans) are desperate for this team to come back to the Wallabies of old and compete at the highest level. At Rugby Australia we have no doubt that will happen.”
A Wallabies win over the old enemy at Twickenham has brought cynical rugby fans back from the brink, and showed there is serious good will for the Wallabies when they are winning.
“Change is difficult and it’s bringing the fans along for the journey through this period of change,” Durbin said.
“They’ve stuck with us. Look at the crowds over the last six months. They can see that the team is turning and the sentiment is turning with this team.
“It takes a little bit of time under Joe Schmidt, Peter Horne from the high performance perspective, seeing that come through how we’re competing.
“The next four games over here are critical for us, and then the Super Rugby will be as well. “The Super Rugby tournament will be the equivalent to the Six Nations for Wallabies selection for the Lions tour in 2025. A really interesting six months to come.”
Afternoon kick-off times for matches against South Africa in Brisbane and the All Blacks in Sydney attracted bumper crowds of 52,019 and 68,063 respectively.
“The crowds have been really significant in the afternoons and a bit of a shift in demographic as well,” Durbin said.
“It’s been more family friendly. We’ve seen a lot more kids coming to the games in the afternoon, which is great. It’s something we’d like to progress with.”
Durbin said RA would continue with a “selection of both” afternoon and evening Wallabies games.
“Of course with the Lions tour we need to be cognisant of time zones around the world,” he said.
“Rugby is a global sport so we’ll lean towards an evening kick-off. But where we have the ability to put afternoon rugby on we certainly will.
“Re-engaging rugby fans and new fans is critical to our success. The Lions tour is a gateway for this. It’s not just about a financial windfall, this is about engaging our fans through this period of two World Cups with the men and the women in 2027 and 2029 and a whole lot of important rugby events that we have. We need to re-engage with that fanbase.”
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