The day Joseph Suaalii, 14, trained with the Wallabies. It began his path to the Lions

The year of 2017 wasn’t a banner one for Australian rugby, on or off the field. The Western Force’s messy axing dominated headlines, and the Wallabies had a middling campaign, with wins over Argentina, a home defeat to Scotland, two draws against the Springboks and a one from three record against the All Blacks.

But within all that, an unusual moment at a most unusual location also saw the ball start rolling for one of Australian rugby’s biggest recruitments, which would arrive six years later. It was the day a 14-year-old Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was a special guest at Wallabies training, deep in Panthers territory, and became friends with his idol Israel Folau.

On Saturday night, Suaalii will line up for the Wallabies in the first Test against the British and Irish Lions in Brisbane, where he hopes to emulate the feats of Folau from 12 years earlier. Folau, also a recent code-switcher, was on debut for the Wallabies in 2013 and scored two tries as the Wallabies lost the Test in a thriller.

Suaalii, who’ll be playing in his fifth Test on Saturday, was a wide-eyed nine-year-old watching with his family in 2013, inches away from the TV and sitting on the floor.

“He did kill it in that 2013, that series, and that was a big reason I wanted to play in a Lions series,” Suaalii said early this week. “It was a dream of mine to play in the Lions because I remember watching him as a kid, watching him, Kurtley Beale, all these different players do their thing in that game.”

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii during the Wallabies captain’s run at Suncorp Stadium.Credit: Getty Images

Growing up in the western Sydney suburb of Glenmore Park, Suaalii was already a budding sporting phenomenon and by the age of 12 was playing five sports for NSW primary school teams: rugby, rugby league, basketball, AFL and athletics.

When he was 14, Suaalii had moved to the Kings School and was already playing in their first XV. By now, however, the race between league and union to recruit the youngster was on in earnest, and hence the unusual moment and unusual location.

Ahead of the Wallabies’ Test against the All Blacks in Sydney, Michael Cheika opted to take the team to Penrith to train at the Panthers’ home ground.

With considerable buzz about the year nine student, Rugby Australia organised for Suaalii and his parents to attend Wallabies training, with the help of former Wallaby Rod Kafer. Kafer, who was then working as an elite coach development manager inside RA, has a son the same age and had first spied Suaalii as a 10-year-old in junior rep rugby.

Michael Cheika and a 14-year-old Joseph Suaalii at a Wallabies training session.Credit: Getty Images

“From a young age, it was obvious to everyone he was a very advanced talent, and there was great interest, obviously, from rugby league,” Kafer said.

“Sometimes rugby union doesn’t get as active in how we go about recruiting young players, and quite often it’s just having the capacity to show interest is sometimes all it needs.

“Showing interest into somebody, that you want them, might be enough. It’s not always just dollars.

“And so the opportunity was created. Izzy Folau was his favourite player as a young kid growing up. And we sent him out to Wallabies training to meet Izzy.”

Parramatta’s Will Penisini and Joseph Suaalii at The King’s School.

Pictures show a fresh-faced (but already tall) Suaalii watching on, and speaking to then Wallabies coach Michael Cheika.

“He also ran around, he got the boots on and was doing some catching high balls and different bits and pieces with Izzy, and learning from Izzy,” Kafer said.

“As a young kid, what a great experience. He got some Wallabies training kit and was mixing with the best rugby players in the country - and holding his own.”

The fight for Suaalii would only intensify in the next few years, and Rugby Australia later made a pitch for the teenager to sign with rugby and play at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as an 18-year-old.

Kafer believed he was good enough to join the Wallabies on a spring tour at the end of 2018.

“In all seriousness, I had thought if Rugby Australia could have done something at that time, I thought he could have gone on the Wallaby tour, end of year tour as a bolter at that age of 16 or whatever, because he was probably good enough to be around the Wallabies at that time,” Kafer said.

“Not as a starter. But as a 16-year-old, I thought he was good enough. When you compare at that age guys like Brad Fittler or the Laurie Daley, those guys who come in as young but are that elite level, he was not dissimilar at all.”

Israel Folau and Henry Speight at the Wallabies’ training session in Penrith in 2017.Credit: Getty Images

Suaalii attended another Wallabies training session in Rushcutters Bay in late 2018, where one former player remembers Cheika urging players to say hello to the youngster in his Kings school uniform. Suaalii and Folau then had lunch after the session, but the talented teenager committed to play rugby league for Souths a few months later.

The allure of rugby never went away for Suaalii, and he told this masthead last year he built a plan in his head to return to the 15-man game in time for the Lions series in 2025. The approach from former RA chairman Hamish McLennan in 2023 found a willing audience.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii (R) faces the media alongside team mate Will Skelton during Wallabies media session in Brisbane.Credit: Getty Images

“That was always the biggest carrot,” Suaalii said this week about the Lions tour. “These are the biggest games, they happen only every 12 years, so that was probably the biggest thing coming across.”

Suaalii has also spoken previously about the influence of Folau in embedding his love of rugby and ensuring the first turn towards NRL wasn’t a permanent one.

“I actually met Israel when I was 14, I really looked up to him when I was younger,” Suaalii said last year.

“For a young kid, I really wanted to ask a lot of questions, I feel like that has been one of my strengths, just learning. And I feel like Israel was someone I could look up to and ask questions to; every now and then I do catch up with him and he’s a great mentor in my life.

“Izzy is a man that doesn’t speak a lot, but it’s more his actions that I’ve picked up on.”

Kafer senses the early exposure of Suaalii to the Wallabies environment as a 14-year-old proved to be a good move.

“People who are high performers in sport, they love every sporting team who is at an elite level,” Kafer said.

“If you get that feel for it, it’s like a drug. And you just love that atmosphere. And I suspect, you know, he was around some very good Australian rugby players at that time, and he probably got a feel for it. He played a lot of rugby as a kid so he had history in rugby.

“And to see it first hand, up close, to get a touch of the jersey. It can inspire you.”

All nine matches of The British & Irish Lions Tour to Australia are live & on demand on Stan Sport, with Wallabies Tests in 4K. All Test matches live and free on Channel 9 & 9Now.

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