By selecting Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii from the outset, Joe Schmidt has rolled the dice and bet big – and it’s not just for the clash against England at Twickenham either.
He didn’t need to. Eleven years ago Israel Folau made his Test debut against the British and Irish Lions on the wing and scored twice.
It’s why Schmidt’s comments – “If not now, when?” – don’t add up, particularly with four scheduled Tests before next year’s historic series and a fifth in the works against Fiji in Newcastle.
Suaalii will undoubtedly be one of the Wallabies’ very best in the future. He could even emerge as one of their brightest sparks by the end of their Grand Slam tour.
But the 21-year-old, who is playing his first rugby match since 2019 and only transitioned back to rugby a few weeks ago, didn’t need to be thrown in the deepest of deep ends by Schmidt.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
Now, he’s facing a baptism of fire in one of rugby’s biggest cauldrons in a role few cross-coders have succeeded in.
“Rugby’s a bit like a spider web in terms of your interconnectivity to other positions,” former Wallabies centre Morgan Turinui said earlier this week on Stan’s Rugby Heaven.
“The further in you go, the harder it is, the more reliant you are on other players. That’s why it’s hard to be a 10 and 12. Thirteen (outside centre) is a very hard position to defend, the easiest place is wing.
“His (Suaalii’s) best position is fullback. Thirteen will be a bit more complicated.”
It’s not just Suaalii who has his work cut out for him but his teammates, too.
Indeed, his new midfield partner, Len Ikitau, will start for the first time in a Test at inside centre.
Although Ikitau has been forced to shift to the inside centre role at times during his 36-Test career, it’s a not a natural starting position for him having only once worn the No.12 jersey for the Brumbies – some four years ago during their home loss to the Highlanders in his rookie season.
Joe Schmidt at Wallabies training ahead of their Test against England at Twickenham. Photo: Julius Dimataga, Rugby Australia
Now Schmidt has a novice 12 and a Test rookie up against England – a Test nation, who last week came within an inch of knocking over the All Blacks and less than 13 months ago lost to the Springboks by a point in the World Cup semi-finals.
Schmidt has already confirmed The Roar’s report that the numbers on their backs are somewhat irrelevant because Ikitau will attack from 12 and defend at 13. That’s all well and good, but we’ll see how that stands up on turnover ball, especially against England’s rush defence system.
The flow-on effects will extend beyond the midfield.
Schmidt doesn’t play Warren-ball but that’s the risk of having two unrecognised midfielders in his side.
Combinations are important, perhaps even more so in Schmidt’s detailed attack structure, but so is winning.
Whatever happened to Phil Waugh’s stated desire 12 months ago that the Wallabies need to get back to winning the Test in front of them?
Has Schmidt given the Wallabies the best chance of taking down a well-drilled English side, who have quality littered across the park but have struggled to close out Tests recently?
Twickenham isn’t a happy hunting ground for the Wallabies.
Several quality sides boasting Folau, Michael Hooper, David Pocock and Stephen Moore have gone to the English capital in recent years and left rubbing their eyes in disappointment.
Indeed, since their famous win against England at Twickenham in the 2015 World Cup, the Wallabies have lost four Tests at the historic venue at a combined total of negative 81 points.
In Schmidt’s defence, he didn’t have a huge amount of options up his sleeve at inside centre after Hunter Paismai’s injury on the eve of the tour.
(Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
But Schmidt knew he would likely be without him for weeks given he was expected to miss the Test because of the pending arrival of his second child.
Schmidt also decided to look past Hamish Stewart, who wore the No.12 jersey against Argentina twice recently, and David Feliuai – the Brumbies recruit who has been with the Wallabies for most of the year but been discarded. Lalakai Foketi, meanwhile, hasn’t had a look-in all year.
Schmidt could have turned to Samu Kerevi – the occupant of the No.12 jersey in the past two World Cups and a World Rugby Player of the Year nominee in 2021 – too.
The excuse provided by Schmidt that Kerevi like Will Skelton wasn’t eligible because he wasn’t with the Wallabies early enough barely flies given Suaalii’s only two extra training sessions came when the wider squad was divided into two.
After all, Kerevi trained with the Wallabies in Sydney in the days before the Wallabies flew out to London.
By not including Kerevi on the bench, Schmidt not only has one of the lightest replacement back combinations, it’s still unproven at Test level and there’s no cover at inside centre.
Suaalii could prove an instant hit. He’s a star in the making, with a strong history in the game.
But that was five years ago when Suaalii was playing schoolboys. Now, he’ll confront a well-oiled Sweet Chariot that has one of the most intimidating packs in world rugby, including Maro Itoje and Chandler Cunningham-South – the excellent first-year international back-rower.
In a high stakes match where expectations are high, Schmidt will hope Suaalii sizzles from the outset because he’s left himself left wriggle room if he doesn’t.
At least Schmidt has given Suaallii every chance of succeeding by shielding the level-headed back from the two dozen strong media contingent in London on Thursday.
“I mean, we don’t do press conferences about the team anymore. We do them around Joseph – and I guess we try to protect him from that,” Schmidt said at his team announcement.
Protecting him from reporters, but running him out for a debut at Twickenham? There won’t be any hiding in front of 80,000.
Christy Doranhttps://https://ift.tt/DjgmnJQ call up is a huge gamble Joe Schmidt didn’t have to take – and ignores RA’s ‘win now’ edict
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