Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s new Wallabies teammates in awe of former NRL star

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii didn’t just star in his Wallabies debut, he did something the national team has needed for a long time and his teammates are buzzing about it.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has been hailed as a “freak” by his new Wallabies teammates after a stunning international debut against England. with expectations he’s only going to get better.

The 21-year-old former NRL star was man-of-the-match in his maiden Wallabies outing at Twickenham, coming just six weeks after his final game for the Sydney Roosters in a preliminary final.

Suaalii signed the biggest deal in Australian rugby history, worth in excess of $5m, and proved he could be worth every cent, and more, not only helping the Wallabies to an upset win over England but putting the spotlight back on a code that has been in the dark for too long.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii - Wallaby No. 988#Wallabiespic.twitter.com/Ae1ADMUVuU

— Wallabies (@wallabies) November 11, 2024

Still beaming in the wake of Suaalii’s stunning opening effort, fellow back Len Ikitau said all the early signs pointed to his new teammate being something special and he duly delivered in what was a shock first game in the gold jersey.

“We saw all of what he did against England at training before. When he came into the squad he did what he needed to learn and then just went out and showcased the skills on the field. That was awesome to see,“ Ikitau said at a press conference on Monday.

“He’s a freak, man! Just being able to play next to him and just seeing what he can do on the field is awesome. And we’re expecting more from him, especially now that he’s had his first game.”

Suaalii played his first Wallabies game despite not having played rugby union since he was a schoolboy, skipping any Super Rugby auditions, making his first-up showing even more audacious.

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt had no hesitation in starting him at the home of rugby, in front of a massive crowd, and Suaalii lapped up the environment, wearing a big smile before the game that ended with a last-gasp 42-37 victory for the Australians.

Right at home 🦘

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii debut highlights ▶️#Wallabiespic.twitter.com/KzEJBYr2iP

— Wallabies (@wallabies) November 10, 2024

Ikitau, who was asked to move inside to the No.12 role to allow Suaalii to debut as outside centre, welcomed the move given what it allowed the team to achieve.

“You know, I’ve been playing 13 all my career. I just didn’t want to change anything. I just said to myself, ‘I’m going to play as a centre’.

“I just wanted to make sure that I was tackling well and attacking the ball well and, in the end, didn’t really change too much in terms of the way I wanted to play.”

After winning the first match of four on the UK tour, the Wallabies will take on Wales who have lost 12 matches in a row and are coming off a 24-19 home loss to Fiji last weekend.

The run of losses included two defeats in Australia this year.

“They’ve got some fast backs, silky skills. They’re always going to be tough, especially at home,” Ikitau said.

“For us, it’s just about being consistent, making sure that we’re backing up a good performance with another good performance, and I feel like we can do that against Wales.”

Originally published as Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s new Wallabies teammates in awe of former NRL star