Rugby 2023: Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii made for highlights reel but does he win Wallabies a World Cup?

He’s fast, has all the moves and will be give the Wallabies some prime-time publicity, but there is a gaping whole elsewhere which threatens to leave Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii in the starting blocks.

Rugby’s obsession with outside backs from the NRL has been a consistent saga but one thing is guaranteed — Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii won’t win trophies alone.

The Wallabies haven’t lifted a World Cup in 24 years. They’ve not held the Bledisloe Cup for 20 years.

In that time, RA has signed a raft of big-name league stars who have generated headlines and marketing buzz, but ultimately failed to land the biggest prizes.

The big three signing of Wendell Sailor, Lote Tuqiri and Mat Rogers in the early years of this century helped Australia to win Bledisloes and make the World Cup final in 2003.

But since then?

Marika Koroibete and Israel Folau — on the field at least — proved worth the risk.

They’ve both claimed John Eales medals as the Wallabies’ best player, and Koroibete remains Australia’s best heading into this year’s World Cup.

But others have failed to live up to the price tag, and in turn good rugby players have left Australian shores to chase the dollars elsewhere.

Joseph Suaalii is a great pick up but the Wallabies are still without a world-beating five-eighth.

Suliasi Vunivalu took a $600,000-a-year contract to move from Melbourne Storm to rugby in 2021 and has only played one Test for the Wallabies.

Koroibete has been lost to Super Rugby while he earns $1 million in Japan, and is brought back into the Wallabies fold under the Giteau Law.

Rugby previously splashed out on Karmichael Hunt, Curtis Rona, Clinton Schifcofske, Timana Tahu and Andrew Walker.

The question being asked in rugby circles now, is why the Wallabies need another highly-paid outside back when, outside of 34-year-old Quade Cooper, the team has no world-beating five-eighth?

What Sailor, Tuqiri and Rogers had, which the Wallabies haven’t had for a long time, is a halves pairing of George Gregan and Stephen Larkham — the best 9 and 10 pairing in Australian history who expertly dissected defences and created opportunities for the outside men.

Marika Koroibete remains Australia’s best heading into this year’s World Cup.

Without at least a world-class No. 10, an outside back’s individual brilliance can only stretch so far.

Folau and Koroibete demonstrate this best. Both had a long highlights reel of superb moments in Test matches, but neither stood on the podium of the two most important tournaments for Australian rugby fans.

When the big three were running around in gold in the early 2000s, Waratahs games were sold out at Moore Park, the Wallabies were the hottest ticket in town and rugby league was scrambling to keep up.

RA chairman Hamish McLennan has grand visions of restoring the game to that pedestal once more, and Suaalii is his crown prince.

He’ll get the publicity boost, for sure.

But the Wallabies need more than just the 19-year-old to restock the bare cupboard.