‘It was kind of crazy’: Suaalii loving life outside the NRL

After an impressive start to his Wallabies career in the centres, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is facing another audition. This one is in front of new Waratahs coach Dan McKellar to see which position works best for his Super Rugby team.

In the first week back for the Waratahs’ Wallabies contingent, and under pouring rain on Thursday, Suaalii trained mostly on the wing. The former Roosters star is diplomatically happy to play wherever he is needed, but he did admit to having one serious ambition. That of being one of the Waratahs’ goalkickers.

Suaalii has every reason to reach for the kicking tee, given he boasts the NRL’s best kicking record at a ground, never missing from 29 attempts at Allianz Stadium.

The former Rooster’s pitch for the role is perfectly timed, given the Waratahs will host the Highlanders for the first game of Super Rugby on February 14 at a stadium where he didn’t miss.

“I’ve always practised kicking and obviously Tane [Edmed] has the role here and, yeah, I’m just trying to get that second spot now,” Suaalii said with a smile.

“I think Andrew Kellaway’s a good kicker as well, so I just need to just work out my process and just work at it every day, and then hopefully, just as time goes, just slowly, just get into that role of goalkicking.”

NSW Waratahs player Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii poses for a photograph next to a window ahead of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.Credit: AAP

Asked if there was a major difference between the NRL’s Steeden and Super Rugby’s Gilbert balls, Suaalii admitted that there was a different movement off the kicking tee.

“Goal kicking is a little bit different,” Suaalii said. “The Gilbert [ball] is a bit fatter, so it goes straighter, and then the Steeden comes in a little bit, so [it] has more draw when you kick, so that’s probably the biggest thing I’ve found, the difference.”

Despite a strong start to his rugby career, including a man-of-the-match performance in the Wallabies’ victory over England in November, Suaalii has returned to Waratahs training desperate to improve.

Coaches and teammates have noticed his dedication, which includes almost always being the first to training and the last out and staying late to do extra analysis on the computer.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii after his first cap for the WallabiesCredit: Julius Dimitaga/Rugby Australia

Although Wallabies’ coach Joe Schmidt had enough tactical faith in Suaalii to throw him into international rugby at centre, the player admitted that switching to a new code at the highest level had provided significant challenges.

“I’d say just defensively, just where to be in different positions, also just learning the plays,” Suaalii said.

“There’s a lot of set piece attack and all of that, just trying to also lower my tackle height, I know that’s a big thing in rugby. That’s probably the three things I’ve been focusing on, but there are lots of things I’ve been working at.”

Suaalii reserved some special thanks to new Waratahs’ teammate Kellaway for his on-field mentorship on the spring tour.

‘Even just playing at Twickenham … it was just great stuff.’

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii on the Wallabies’ spring tour

“There were plenty of times when Andrew Kellaway was helping me out on the field on different plays and things, so I’ve got to thank Kells for that,” Suaalii said.

Across four games in the Wallabies’ spring tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland, Suaalii was the star attraction and played in front of an average crowd of 62,000. The former NRL star admitted his surprise at how big the game was in the northern hemisphere.

“It was kind of crazy, 100 per cent I didn’t realise how big the game of rugby was up north,” Suaalii said.

“I think every time I was on a bus, it was just like driving in, you see the crowds, and it was just, honestly, it was unreal.

“Even just playing at Twickenham, I didn’t realise how many people were in the crowd until you actually get out there and you’re singing the anthem, and it was just great stuff.

“Playing in Ireland, Wales and Scotland as well. It was just experiencing the different cities and travel as a 21-year-old, it’s a great thing.”

McKellar focused on Waratahs as Wallabies play waiting game with Schmidt

Waratahs coach Dan McKellar says Rugby Australia hasn’t approached him about the Wallabies coaching job, should Joe Schmidt step down after the British and Irish Lions series in August.

McKellar hasn’t taken charge of a single game for his new club, but is already considered a leading hypothetical candidate as his country’s coach alongside the Queensland Reds’ Les Kiss and the Brumbies’ Stephen Larkham, given the continued radio silence regarding Schmidt’s future.

Despite telling this masthead in an interview that a decision on his future would be made in December, Schmidt has still not told his squad whether he will stay beyond the Lions series, although some players left January’s Wallabies camp in Sydney believing the New Zealander will not oversee their first Rugby Championship game against the Springboks in South Africa just 14 days after the Lions series ends.

McKellar is taking charge of his first Waratahs pre-season in Sydney after returning to Australia from a disappointing one-season stint at Leicester Tigers.

The former Brumbies and Wallabies assistant coach was once seen as the next man in line to coach his country after Dave Rennie, but after the New Zealander lost his job, McKellar turned down the opportunity to work under Eddie Jones, instead leaving Australia to take over Leicester.

Dan McKellar talks to his players at Waratahs pre-season training.Credit: Hugo Carr/NSW Waratahs

In his first Waratahs media conference, McKellar was asked if he had been approached by RA as a potential candidate if Schmidt decides to decline a proposed contract extension through to the 2027 World Cup.

“Nah, I’m just head down, bum up, just getting stuck into this and, as I said, I’m genuinely keen and excited,” McKellar said. “I think if we can get things right here, that’s going to help Rugby Australia, and I’ve come back to help, I think I can do that, and yeah, we’ll get to it.”

McKellar was then asked whether he would be interested in the Wallabies head coaching role if Schmidt does decide to leave after the Lions series.

“I’m contracted here for the next three years, so that’s all I’m worried about,” McKellar said. “So we’ll give Joe the space that he needs to make his decision and crack on.”

Joe Schmidt back in Sydney for Wallabies camp in January.Credit: Rugby Australia

Kiss was similarly focused on his future with Queensland when speaking to the media in Brisbane after being asked whether he had been approached by RA ahead of the Reds’ upcoming tour of the United Kingdom where they will play Bristol and Ulster in Belfast.

“I’ve got too much respect for Joe to go down that path,” Kiss said. “I can give you one thing … the professional staff we have that lead our performance program, you know we’re contracted here, so we’re going to be doing our best to deliver what’s necessary for this team to go forward and be better every day.”

It is also understood from informed sources that the Brumbies have also not been approached by RA regarding Larkham’s potential as a candidate for the Wallabies role.

Alongside trying to persuade Schmidt to stay until 2027, Rugby Australia is deep in negotiations with Nine Entertainment (owners of this masthead) on a new broadcasting deal.

The current $30 million deal was struck in 2020 during the pandemic, Nine opting to take up a two-year extension to that deal in 2023.

RA and Nine have continued negotiations beyond their exclusive negotiation period of December 31 and the new proposed deal would run from 2026 until 2030, taking in the 2027 and 2029 men’s and women’s World Cups in Australia.

The deal has grown in importance for RA given the number of key Wallabies who will be out of contract at the end of 2025, including star breakaway Fraser McReight, centre Len Ikitau, five-eighth Noah Lolesio, prop Taniela Tupou, fullback Tom Wright and second-row Nick Frost.