Wallabies v Ireland: Selfless Timu welcomes Pete Samu to the pack

Caleb Timu has been selfless in his praise of incoming backrower Pete Samu.

Caleb Timu, left, and Israel Folau at Suncorp Stadium yesterday. Picture: AAP

It could have an impact on a possible Test debut for Caleb Timu against Ireland on Saturday, but still the Queensland backrower insisted yesterday it was “massive news” that New Zealand had agreed to release Pete Samu to the Wallabies for the series against the Six Nations champions.

Timu could hardly have made a more emphatic impact off the bench for Queensland in the interstate clash with NSW on Saturday night, sparking the Reds’ revival with a high-stepping performance that Tahs captain ­Michael Hooper admitted changed the whole momentum of the match.

But it still is unclear whether that display has earned him a starting berth in the Test side, a place on the bench or whether, in light of New Zealand’s stunning decision to release Samu, it could change everything and defer Timu’s Wallabies debut a little longer.

Either way, Timu warmly welcomed that Samu would be joining the Wallabies immediately, describing it as “a big positive for Australia”. And while players are obliged to turn on the exaggerated charm in such circumstances so as to not damage their own selection prospects, so highly regarded is Timu that he has been taken at his word. He seems as genuinely ­delighted for Samu’s possible debut as he is for his own.

“He brings so much,” Timu said. “He’s played some awesome footy and he is a good addition to the team. I’ve watched a lot of his games. I like the way he plays and he’s got a lot of good skills.”

With Ned Hanigan still injured, the backrow is likely to come down to Hooper at seven, David Pocock at either six or eight, and then one of Timu, ­Lukhan Tui and now Samu to make up the numbers.

Tui, who is primarily a lock, would be seen purely as a blindside flanker but Timu and Samu, who has been in and out of the Crusaders side this season, could easily fill the six or eight jumpers. Indeed, their jersey numbers might not exactly correspond to the traditional roles of blindside flanker and No 8 and certainly it would not surprise to see Timu packing down as last man in the scrum.

It’s unclear whether Rugby Australia paid the ransom NZR had been demanding for Samu’s release from the Crusaders over the June Test window. What is clear, however, is that the National Rugby Championship side, the Vikings, have taken over Samu’s contract with Tasman in the Mitre 10 Cup, so if any money did change hands, it would be more in the range of sub-$10,000 rather than the $50,000 that New Zealand had reportedly demanded.

Yet the joy of welcoming another potential debutant into the Wallaby ranks was dulled considerably by the news that Melbourne Rebels hooker Jordan Uelese has been ruled out of the three-Test series against Ireland after suffering a suspected ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in the Super Rugby win over the Blues in Auckland on Saturday yesterday.

Uelese flew into Brisbane from Auckland yesterday as scheduled but it didn’t take long for medical staff to realise that there was considerable damage to his knee. He flew home to Melbourne later in the day and will have further scans today but the wheels already have been set in motion to find a ­replacement.

NSW hooker Tolu Latu had been invited to join the squad as a training partner even before Uelese was injured and all indications are that he will be named as the permanent replacement. He has four Test caps to his credit from the 2016 spring tour, which is four more than the two other hookers in the Wallabies squad, Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Folau Fainga’a of the Brumbies.

Meanwhile, Test fullback Israel Folau was uncertain what to make of the fact that 15 tries were scored on Saturday night in the interstate match — eight by his Waratahs, seven by the Reds.

“I guess there are some pros and cons from scoring that many tries,” Folau said. “It’s great that we’ve got that many guys who can get over the line and score points. But in saying that, there were probably areas in defence where we were a bit lax what we can work on.”

His own two tries ultimately made all the difference for the Tahs but the hope in the Queensland camp is that the Reds would have convinced him they are the team of the future, a future they are hoping will include him.

Queensland coach Brad Thorn conceded — through gritted teeth, admittedly — that the Reds had no answer when Waratahs five-eighth Bernard Foley put up the garryowen for Folau. “Those high balls, those kicks, were really clever by then. He’s just outstanding at it, isn’t he?

“Sometimes you’ve just got to tip your hat and say: ‘You’re very good’. It is what it is. And good on them.”

But the Reds are still hopeful Folau, when it comes time to ­determine his future later this year, will decide to venture north to Queensland, the state he represented for three years (2008-10) in rugby league’s State of Origin during his days with the Melbourne Storm and the Brisbane Broncos. Certainly every time he ventures onto Suncorp Stadium, the ground where he made his international rugby debut for the Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions in 2013, Folau seems to ­refresh his love affair with it. ­According to FoxSports stats, he has scored 35 tries there for 42 games of rugby and rugby league.

“Like I’ve said before, anyone would be interested in Israel ­tonight,” said Thorn after the two vintage Folau tries. “He just showed why. I don’t have anything to tell you. I’m sure he’s sorting out his stuff.”

Folau was giving little away.

“My management is in the ­process of sorting things out,” he said. “At the moment I’m just ­focusing on playing footy and really enjoying it at the moment.”