Latest news with #Joseph-AukusoSuaalii
Extra.ie
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Aussie star Suaalii lies in wait as Lions campaign commences in Dublin
The British and Irish Lions get their campaign up and running against Argentina at Aviva Stadium on Friday night – but the three-Test series has got more daunting with cross-code superstar Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in line to face Andy Farrell's side this summer. The 21-year-old was recruited from rugby league side Sydney Roosters on a three-year-deal worth a reported Au$5.35million (€3m) and Suaalii made an immediate impact on rugby union during the autumn internationals with a star turn against England in Twickenham. There were fears that the centre would have to sit out the series after he broke his jaw in a collision with New South Wales Waratahs teammate Andrew Kellaway in May. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in action for Australia. Pic:But Suaalii is on course to feature against the Lions, with head coach Joe Schmidt naming him in a 36-player squad on Thursday. The former Leinster and Ireland coach has also included giant La Rochelle lock Will Skelton. But veteran out-half James O'Connor has missed the cut. The 34-year-old has endured no shortage of disciplinary issues in the past, but the talented Australian back had found his best form since a galvanising move to the Crusaders this season. O'Connor played a prominent role for the Wallabies against the Lions 12 years ago, starting all three Tests in the No10 shirt. But Schmidt has opted for Ben Donaldson, Noah Lolesio and Tom Lynagh as his options at out-half for the warm-up Test against Fiji on July 6. James O'Connor playing with the Crusaders. Pic:'We've invested in three guys in that (No) 10 spot, and we felt trying to balance things up, we're going to keep investing in those guys,' said Schmidt. 'We didn't want to interrupt that. I'm not saying we got it right, I'm just saying that's what we chose to do.' Western Force back-row forward Nick Champion de Crespigny and Brumbies winger Corey Toole are the only two uncapped players in the large squad while Ulster-bound loosehead Angus Bell, backrowers Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson and scrumhalf Tate McDermott are familiar faces. Japan-based stalwarts Samu Kerevi and Marika Koroibete as well as Bordeaux No8 Pete Samu were all omitted. Australia head coach Joe Schmidt. Pic: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo 'Selection is always tight and there'll be players who are excited and those that are disappointed,' Schmidt reasoned. 'As coaches, there was a lot of healthy, robust discussion and we think we've selected a group that will work hard and connect well as a squad. 'There's some continuity from last year, plus a few new or returning players, who have forced their way into the mix through strong performances in Super Rugby Pacific. 'This squad's immediate focus is Fiji, and we will need to hit the ground running having not been together since early January.' The Wallabies play Fiji on July 6 in Newcastle.
France 24
2 days ago
- Sport
- France 24
Suaalii fit to face Lions but O'Connor left out by Wallabies for Fiji Test
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was stretchered off in a Super Rugby match in May after fracturing his jaw The 21-year-old former rugby league star has recovered from a fractured jaw and was named by Australia coach Joe Schmidt in his 36-man squad for the Fiji clash on July 6, the only Wallabies warm-up before three Tests against the Lions. Suaalii had surgery in May after being injured playing for the NSW Waratahs, sparking concerns he could miss at least the first Lions Test on July 19. The experienced trio of O'Connor, Kerevi and Koirobete were left out, with lock Will Skelton the only overseas-based player included. "Selection is always tight and there'll be players who are excited and those that are disappointed," Schmidt said. "As coaches there was a lot of healthy, robust discussion and we think we've selected a group that will work hard and connect well as a squad." Western Force back-row forward Nick Champion de Crespigny and ACT Brumbies flying wing Corey Toole were given their first call-ups. "There's some continuity from last year, plus a few new or returning players who have forced their way into the mix," said Schmidt. NSW Waratahs hooker David Porecki was recalled for the first time since captaining the Wallabies at the 2023 Rugby World Cup, where they failed to progress past the pool stage for the first time. De Crespigny, Dylan Pietsch, Tom Robertson, Darcy Swain and Nic White will not join the squad until after the Western Force's match against the Lions on June 28. Australia squad: Backs: Filipo Daugunu, Ben Donaldson, Jake Gordon, Len Ikitau, Max Jorgensen, Andrew Kellaway, Noah Lolesio, Tom Lynagh, Tate McDermott, Hunter Paisami, Dylan Pietsch, Harry Potter, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Corey Toole, Nic White, Tom Wright. Forwards: Allan Alaalatoa, Angus Bell, Nick Champion De Crespigny, Matt Faessler, Nick Frost, Langi Gleeson, Tom Hooper, Fraser McReight, Zane Nonggorr, Billy Pollard, David Porecki, Tom Robertson , Will Skelton, James Slipper, Darcy Swain, Carlo Tizzano, Taniela Tupou, Rob Valetini, Jeremy Williams, Harry Wilson. © 2025 AFP
Perth Now
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
'I'll be 100 per cent': Suaalii's huge Wallabies boost
In a mighty boost, Wallabies superstar Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has declared himself "fully fit" to face the touring British and Irish Lions next month. Suaalii on Wednesday claimed he was "97 per cent" right after losing, then regaining, 5kg following surgery three weeks ago to repair a fractured jaw. Having the code-hopping game-breaker back at his brilliant best will be critical to the Wallabies' chances of conquering the Lions in the showpiece three-Test series kicking off in Brisbane on July 19. And Suaalii believes his recovery is firmly on track, the outside back revealing he'd even returned to full-contact training on Monday in the hope of making a comeback in Australia's season-opening Test against Fiji in Newcastle on July 6. "It's really good. The face was really big for a while, so I was wearing a face mask everywhere, but it's slowly coming down," Suaalii said at a Lions promotion at Sydney's Taronga Zoo. "I've still got a bit of baby fat around, but it's really good. I'm like 97 per cent, but I'll be fully fit." The one-time NSW State of Origin star suffered the break in an accidental collision with NSW Waratahs and Wallabies teammate Andrew Kellaway, who felt horrible when his knee ploughed into Suaalii's jaw. "Yeah, nobody wants to crash the Ferrari. That's definitely not what anybody wants," Kellaway said on Wednesday. "I was worried I was going to go viral as the guy who damaged Joseph before the Lions series." Suaalii, though, insists all has been forgiven and that friendly fire is merely an occupational hazard. "It's all part of my growth as a human and then as a rugby player too, so it's all part of the game," he said. But he did concede to initially fearing he may miss the start of the series. "Because obviously it's such an important time for myself and straight rugby and I want to be playing so, yeah, obviously there's a little bit of nerves," Suaalii said. "But they (doctors) came back straight away and then I had surgery maybe three weeks ago now and, yeah, I lost around 5kg, but I've put it all back on now. "I've been eating heaps, thanks to my Mum and my family around me with the support to help me stay on track. "Just going back home and there's always food there, so Mum and Dad always try to feed me as much as possible when I'm back home, so that's good." Now that he's declared his availability, Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt must decide where to play his attacking trump. He finished last year's spring tour at outside centre, but Waratahs coach Dan McKellar mostly used Suaalii at fullback during his stop-start Super Rugby Pacific season. Suaalii doesn't care where he plays, as long as he's in Australia's starting XV. "Playing at 15, playing at 13, even training on the wing, I feel like I've been learning so much," he said. "I'm a big believer in playing wing,13, 15, just make sure you're a better rugby player, and seeing it from a different perspective always helps you."
West Australian
11-06-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
'I'll be 100 per cent': Suaalii's huge Wallabies boost
In a mighty boost, Wallabies superstar Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has declared himself "fully fit" to face the touring British and Irish Lions next month. Suaalii on Wednesday claimed he was "97 per cent" right after losing, then regaining, 5kg following surgery three weeks ago to repair a fractured jaw. Having the code-hopping game-breaker back at his brilliant best will be critical to the Wallabies' chances of conquering the Lions in the showpiece three-Test series kicking off in Brisbane on July 19. And Suaalii believes his recovery is firmly on track, the outside back revealing he'd even returned to full-contact training on Monday in the hope of making a comeback in Australia's season-opening Test against Fiji in Newcastle on July 6. "It's really good. The face was really big for a while, so I was wearing a face mask everywhere, but it's slowly coming down," Suaalii said at a Lions promotion at Sydney's Taronga Zoo. "I've still got a bit of baby fat around, but it's really good. I'm like 97 per cent, but I'll be fully fit." The one-time NSW State of Origin star suffered the break in an accidental collision with NSW Waratahs and Wallabies teammate Andrew Kellaway, who felt horrible when his knee ploughed into Suaalii's jaw. "Yeah, nobody wants to crash the Ferrari. That's definitely not what anybody wants," Kellaway said on Wednesday. "I was worried I was going to go viral as the guy who damaged Joseph before the Lions series." Suaalii, though, insists all has been forgiven and that friendly fire is merely an occupational hazard. "It's all part of my growth as a human and then as a rugby player too, so it's all part of the game," he said. But he did concede to initially fearing he may miss the start of the series. "Because obviously it's such an important time for myself and straight rugby and I want to be playing so, yeah, obviously there's a little bit of nerves," Suaalii said. "But they (doctors) came back straight away and then I had surgery maybe three weeks ago now and, yeah, I lost around 5kg, but I've put it all back on now. "I've been eating heaps, thanks to my Mum and my family around me with the support to help me stay on track. "Just going back home and there's always food there, so Mum and Dad always try to feed me as much as possible when I'm back home, so that's good." Now that he's declared his availability, Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt must decide where to play his attacking trump. He finished last year's spring tour at outside centre, but Waratahs coach Dan McKellar mostly used Suaalii at fullback during his stop-start Super Rugby Pacific season. Suaalii doesn't care where he plays, as long as he's in Australia's starting XV. "Playing at 15, playing at 13, even training on the wing, I feel like I've been learning so much," he said. "I'm a big believer in playing wing,13, 15, just make sure you're a better rugby player, and seeing it from a different perspective always helps you."
The Advertiser
01-06-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Waratahs play the long game after missing Super finals
Ever the pragmatist, Dan McKellar admits there's no quick fix for his NSW Waratahs after the competition's perennial under-achievers endured a humiliating end to their Super Rugby Pacific season. A record-breaking 46-6 loss to the defending champion Blues on Saturday night left the Waratahs heading to Auckland airport with their tails between their legs and out of the finals for a second straight season. The Waratahs were without a raft of experienced and classy players, including Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Max Jorgensen, skipper Jake Gordon and flankers Rob Leota and Charlie Gamble. And it showed as two-time world player of the year Beauden Barrett and hat-trick hero Rieke Ioane delivered masterclasses at Eden Park to put the Tahs to the sword. "We're a little bit undermanned and a pretty young group, especially within our backline, and up against some world-class players," McKellar said."There'll be plenty of learnings for us out of tonight. We were beaten in all areas of the game."Reflecting on the season, which included the club's best start since 2009 with three straight wins, and victories over the benchmark Brumbies and minor premiers the Chiefs, McKellar remained focused on the long game. "We've certainly made progress, and it's how you measure progress," the coach said."So there's significant change for this, for a new playing group, new coaching group, and a new way of doing things."There have been a lot of adjustments, and I've got a vision for the organisation, and it's going to take time."It will take time to make the change that you want to make because you can put Band-Aids on things and come up with quick solutions."But is that going to set us up for sustainable success? So, there's a lot of work to be done. "I've said many times, there's going to be some good days and there's going to be some tough days - and today was another tough one." The Waratahs' exit leaves the Brumbies and Queensland Reds to fly the Australian flag in the finals. The fifth-placed Reds travel to Christchurch to face the Crusaders on Friday night, before the third-placed Brumbies host the fourth-placed Hurricanes in Canberra on Saturday. The Chiefs are home to the sixth-placed Blues in Waikato on Saturday night. The three winners plus the highest-ranked losing team will advance to the semi-finals. Ever the pragmatist, Dan McKellar admits there's no quick fix for his NSW Waratahs after the competition's perennial under-achievers endured a humiliating end to their Super Rugby Pacific season. A record-breaking 46-6 loss to the defending champion Blues on Saturday night left the Waratahs heading to Auckland airport with their tails between their legs and out of the finals for a second straight season. The Waratahs were without a raft of experienced and classy players, including Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Max Jorgensen, skipper Jake Gordon and flankers Rob Leota and Charlie Gamble. And it showed as two-time world player of the year Beauden Barrett and hat-trick hero Rieke Ioane delivered masterclasses at Eden Park to put the Tahs to the sword. "We're a little bit undermanned and a pretty young group, especially within our backline, and up against some world-class players," McKellar said."There'll be plenty of learnings for us out of tonight. We were beaten in all areas of the game."Reflecting on the season, which included the club's best start since 2009 with three straight wins, and victories over the benchmark Brumbies and minor premiers the Chiefs, McKellar remained focused on the long game. "We've certainly made progress, and it's how you measure progress," the coach said."So there's significant change for this, for a new playing group, new coaching group, and a new way of doing things."There have been a lot of adjustments, and I've got a vision for the organisation, and it's going to take time."It will take time to make the change that you want to make because you can put Band-Aids on things and come up with quick solutions."But is that going to set us up for sustainable success? So, there's a lot of work to be done. "I've said many times, there's going to be some good days and there's going to be some tough days - and today was another tough one." The Waratahs' exit leaves the Brumbies and Queensland Reds to fly the Australian flag in the finals. The fifth-placed Reds travel to Christchurch to face the Crusaders on Friday night, before the third-placed Brumbies host the fourth-placed Hurricanes in Canberra on Saturday. The Chiefs are home to the sixth-placed Blues in Waikato on Saturday night. The three winners plus the highest-ranked losing team will advance to the semi-finals. Ever the pragmatist, Dan McKellar admits there's no quick fix for his NSW Waratahs after the competition's perennial under-achievers endured a humiliating end to their Super Rugby Pacific season. A record-breaking 46-6 loss to the defending champion Blues on Saturday night left the Waratahs heading to Auckland airport with their tails between their legs and out of the finals for a second straight season. The Waratahs were without a raft of experienced and classy players, including Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Max Jorgensen, skipper Jake Gordon and flankers Rob Leota and Charlie Gamble. And it showed as two-time world player of the year Beauden Barrett and hat-trick hero Rieke Ioane delivered masterclasses at Eden Park to put the Tahs to the sword. "We're a little bit undermanned and a pretty young group, especially within our backline, and up against some world-class players," McKellar said."There'll be plenty of learnings for us out of tonight. We were beaten in all areas of the game."Reflecting on the season, which included the club's best start since 2009 with three straight wins, and victories over the benchmark Brumbies and minor premiers the Chiefs, McKellar remained focused on the long game. "We've certainly made progress, and it's how you measure progress," the coach said."So there's significant change for this, for a new playing group, new coaching group, and a new way of doing things."There have been a lot of adjustments, and I've got a vision for the organisation, and it's going to take time."It will take time to make the change that you want to make because you can put Band-Aids on things and come up with quick solutions."But is that going to set us up for sustainable success? So, there's a lot of work to be done. "I've said many times, there's going to be some good days and there's going to be some tough days - and today was another tough one." The Waratahs' exit leaves the Brumbies and Queensland Reds to fly the Australian flag in the finals. The fifth-placed Reds travel to Christchurch to face the Crusaders on Friday night, before the third-placed Brumbies host the fourth-placed Hurricanes in Canberra on Saturday. The Chiefs are home to the sixth-placed Blues in Waikato on Saturday night. The three winners plus the highest-ranked losing team will advance to the semi-finals.
