‘If not now, when?’ Schmidt rolls dice and starts Suaalii on debut at Twickenham

“If not now, when?”

That was the explanation of Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt for his decision to throw new recruit Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in the deep end with a starting role on debut against England at Twickenham.

Just 47 days after his last NRL game, and nine days after his Rugby Australia contract officially began, Suaalii will play at outside centre in front of 80,000 fans in London on Sunday morning (AEDT).

The Test match debut will double as Suaalii’s first senior game of rugby, after last playing the 15-man game as a schoolboy five years ago. He has only been training with the Wallabies for three weeks.

In a 23-man Wallabies side that notably didn’t include star lock Will Skelton, Suaalii was named to partner Len Ikitau in the mid-field; a new combination made necessary by an injury to incumbent no.12 Hunter Paisami.

Ikitau will wear the no.12 for the first time in his 36-Test career, and having played outside centre in every professional game bar one since debuting for the Brumbies in 2019. Like Skelton, Samu Kerevi wasn’t considered for selection because of insufficient time on the training field with the Wallabies.

Starting Suaalii – who last played rugby as a teenager – in front of 80,000 people at Twickenham is a high-stakes gamble for Schmidt, who is normally a risk-averse coach. But it is a punt the coach feels is worth taking given the fast-approaching Lions series next July.

“Everything’s a risk, but I would challenge that with everything’s an opportunity,” Schmidt said.

“And it’s a fantastic opportunity for a young man who’s really excited about getting the chance. There’s four Test matches left this year before we embark on a massive Lions tour next year. So if not now, when? It’s unlikely it’ll go perfectly, but it will be a benchmark that he can build from.”

Suaalii will be the first player to make his Wallabies debut before playing a Super Rugby game since Matt Giteau in 2002, when he came off the bench at Twickenham.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii training with the Wallabies at Teddington, in London.Credit: Getty Images

Schmidt said Suaalii’s background in rugby, big-game experience in the NRL and “meticulous preparation”, had convinced selectors the 21-year-old could handle the occasion.

“He’s been excellent. That’s part of what gives us confidence, not to wait another week or two weeks or until next year,” Schmidt said.

“He’s a really level-headed kid, and so that gives us some confidence that he will cope. But we’ve got to find out some time. You know, if not this week, as I said, it’s next week or the week after that. No matter what Test you play up here, it’s going to be really competitive, combative, and a benchmark experience for a young man.”

Schmidt confirmed it was likely Suaalii and Ikitau would likely interchange their roles in the mid-field during the Test, with the latter more experienced in defending in the demanding outside centre channel.

All eyes in Twickenham will be on Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii as he earns the 12 jersey on debut against EnglandCredit: Getty Images

“The advantage of Joseph being at 12, sometimes the physical demand is a little bit greater,” he said.

“He’s a big strong kid, Joseph, so that’s fine. It’s just that at 13, there’s a few more decisions that have to get made. Just with Lenny’s experience, we’re sort of inside-outside maybe a little bit.”

Schmidt said he was confident Suaalii would adjust to the lower tackle heights required in rugby, having been sent off in his State of Origin debut for NSW for a dangerous high shot.

Asked about the omission of Skelton, who joined the squad this week from France, Schmidt conceded it had been tempting to bypass his policy of players training a full week before being available for Test selection. Skelton is only with the Wallabies for the first three Tests of the tour.

“Will’s won things that some of our young players just haven’t had the habit of doing,” he said.

“If you’re not in the habit of winning, sometimes you manage to manufacture a way not to get there when maybe you can or could have. And we don’t want to have too many could-haves, so it was tempting. But Will trained with us fully today for the first time. That was just too tight for us.”

Nick Frost and Jeremy Williams were retained as starting locks, with Lukhan Salakaia-Loto on the bench.

Schmidt otherwise kept the same Harry Wilson-led side who lost their last Test to New Zealand in Wellington, but with Max Jorgensen replacing Josh Flook on the bench.

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