RA boss labels NRL rivals as ‘cry babies’

Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan has taunted the NRL critics of his poaching of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.

Teen Roosters star Joseph Suaalii

Rugby Australia chair Hamish McLennan said his code won’t be “bullied” by the NRL and has called the rugby league critics of the Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii poaching a “bunch of cry babies”.

Rugby league boss Peter V’landys said Suaalii would be ‘terribly bored’ in rugby while Roosters star Brandon Smith took a swipe at Rugby Australia, claiming the Wallabies will need more than Suaalii to dominate the All Blacks.

McLennan, who orchestrated the hiring of Wallabies coach Eddie Jones and then the poaching of the Roosters teen superstar on a mega-deal, labelled the criticism “childish”.

“What a bunch of cry babies,” McLennan said.

“They’ve completely thrown their toys out of the cot.”

“Our elite players will earn more. We are in a different league as we are global with over 800 million people who follow the game and it is played in more than 100 countries.”

“They can say what they want but we won’t be bullied.”

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On Saturday soon after it was announced Suaalii would be starting at the Waratahs and Wallabies on a three-year, multi million deal, V’landys went on the front foot and said the 19-year-old would soon be bored in union and would return to league.

“It’s hard to blame Joseph for going to rugby and considering it as his future when he is going to be paid twice the money for doing half the work,” V’landys told The Sydney Morning Herald.

McLennan rebutted with; “Our guys do twice the international travel and have double the fun.”

McLennan said he expected the NRL to come for his talent but maintained the global opportunities should see some of the best rugby youngsters, such as Waratah rookie Max Jorgensen, stay.

“No doubt they will try and pick off somebody like Max,” McLennan said.

“But we love him and his contract renewal will be when he’ll be on the cusp of playing on the Lions Tour and then the Rugby World Cup in 2027 which league just can’t compete with.”

It was on Sunday morning that Smith took a swipe at Rugby Australia.

Speaking 12 hours after Suaalii’s cross-code defection was confirmed, Smith also urged the NRL to strike back at Rugby Australia for poaching one of the NRL’s brightest prospects.

New Zealand international Smith said the Wallabies needed more than the Suaalii to make a dent on its biggest rivals.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii will switch to rugby union at the end of 2024 Picture: Getty Images

The last time the Wallabies lifted the Bledisloe Cup was back in 2002.

“That $1.6 million could have been spent better on the grassroots of rugby than grabbing our beautiful young Suaalii … a $1.6 million winger from the Roosters isn’t going to help (the Wallabies) beat the All Blacks,” he said.

Despite being born and raised in New Zealand, Smith said he only played one game of rugby in his life and that “he was terrible”. He joked that this parents always thought rugby was “pretty soft”.

“If my dad liked union he would probably would have made me play it. But yeah, he hates it,” Smith said.

“We used to always call my uncle soft for playing union. I was brought up in rugby league household.”

Suaalii headlined a hit list of NRL stars on the radar of Wallabies coach Eddie Jones.

Smith said Jones would continue to lure NRL players to the 15-man game in a similar manner to when the Australian coach masterminded the poaching of Wendell Sailor, Lote Tuqiri and Mat Rogers ahead of the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

Chairman of Rugby Australia Hamish McLennan Picture: Tim Hunter.

“I think this is the first they have got that‘s a young rising talent. Hopefully they don’t take too many of those, I think they are always going to come at us,” Smith said.

“I‘m waiting for the day that we actually grab one of their guys. Have we ever grabbed one of their guys?

“They have done it for years now. I think Eddie Jones was responsible for taking Lote Tuqiri, Wendell Sailor … a lot of the great rugby league players. But whenever they go, there‘s the next great kid coming up through the ranks.”

On Saturday, Suaalii sealed a three-year deal worth $1.6 million per year, defecting to the rival code from 2025 to link up with the Waratahs.

The deal guarantees the 19-year old’s availability for the Wallabies for the British Lion tour in 2025 and the Rugby World Cup in 2027.

Like Suaalii, Smith‘s former Melbourne Storm teammate Nelson Asofa-Solomona also grew up playing union before switching codes to join the Victorian club.

Smith believes Jones has a genuine chance of striking another blow.

“I have definitely heard him talk about it. I think he would be a really good rugby player. He‘s got all the makings for pretty much any sport,” Smith said.

“I reckon he could have a crack at NFL, he’d be a nice little tight end. Whether he does it or not I don’t know, it would be hard for him to leave the Storm.”

While Smith conceded Suaalii was a huge loss for the Roosters, he said the youngster was fully committed to winning a premiership with the club and could see him make a return to the NRL, like former Roosters forwards Sonny Bill Williams.

Smith also joked Suaalii’s mammoth deal would be the topic conversation among teammates.

“I‘ll be looking for a few feeds … holy heck … that’s so much money, but he deserves it,” Smith said.

“He is committed to his craft, he’s a champion kid.

“It’s good to see him be able to do that for his family and be able to support the ones he loves with all that money.

“It will only make him 24, 25 he can come straight back. We’ll get the most out of him we can, we’ll squeeze the lemon dry.”

Suaalii grew up playing club rugby league before balancing the code with his rugby union duties at the King’s School. He debuted with the Roosters as a 17-year-old in 2021.