Christy Doran: Joseph Suaalii is being wasted, it’s time Aussie rugby learnt from Israel Folau and the ‘impossible to ignore’ Wallabies outcast
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and an inset of Ben Donaldson.
It took Michael Cheika just one Test to work out that Israel Folau wasn’t an outside centre. Even though Folau scored late against the All Blacks in Japan in 2018, by the time the Wallabies had reached Great Britain on their end-of-year tour, Cheika, who lured the code-hopper to rugby union in 2013, had decided he was better suited to playing in the outside backs.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii must learn from Israel Folau
The decision came after Australian rugby worked out that Folau could still be hugely influential at full-back even if his side struggled and was on the wrong end of the scoreboard. Now, the Waratahs must do the same with Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, whose mentor is Folau, and free up the 22-year-old by shifting the code-hopper to the back three.
Suaalii was by no means the only Waratahs back who struggled to get into the game during their 20-17 defeat to the Western Force, but his underwhelming return was the latest bit of evidence to suggest the prodigious talent is better suited elsewhere. After his spectacular take from the opening kick-off, Suaalii ran for only two metres in attack.
Just as alarming, however, was his wayward left-to-right pass that missed his teammates, leaving them scrambling backwards to pick up the ball. From that moment, Suaalii was barely sighted. He was eventually replaced after 60 minutes, with the Waratahs’ medical team not wanting to push the Test regular upon his return from an eight-week injury (hamstring) lay-off.
Nor was it the first time that Suaalii has been left sullen, with Australian rugby’s most expensive player regularly looking downcast during last year’s miserable, winless tour of Europe. That was because Suaalii couldn’t quite get his hands on the ball as much as he would have liked, nor in the areas of the field he wanted either. It didn’t help that his forward pack was well-beaten either.
Fast-forward to this year’s Super Rugby competition and the Waratahs similarly struggled at the breakdown and in the contact zone against the Force. Unsurprisingly, Suaalii was missing in action. Making the decision to persist with Suaalii at outside centre all the more head-scratching is that the cross-code star’s best game in sky blue in his maiden season last year was when he wore the No.15 jersey against Moana Pasifika.
On that afternoon, Suaalii set up three of the Waratahs’ four tries in a match. Although the Waratahs were eventually overrun, his awesome display showed that Suaalii could be even more devastating at the back despite making his entrance on the international stage in the No.13 jersey under Joe Schmidt.
While Schmidt might see Suaalii as a No.13, and the Waratahs like playing him there to have a bigger body in the midfield, the time has come for the million-dollar man to shift to the back three. It could even free up Max Jorgensen, who has similarly been quiet since shifting from the wing to fullback.
Lesson in Aussie Rugby’s most improved player
With Will Skelton to miss the entire international year, tight-head lock looked like a crisis position for the Wallabies in 2026. But cometh the hour, cometh the man. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto has played himself into career-best form over the past month, which should see him re-emerge as a regular in the Wallabies after slipping down the pecking order under Joe Schmidt last year. A week after taking it to the Blues, Salakaia-Loto scored a try by storming through Test teammate Nick Frost in contact.
He also regularly dented the line, was busy in defence (12 tackles) and took a couple of balls at the lineout, including one spectacular one-handed take, during his 80-minute performance. The performances haven’t gone unnoticed, with his teammates and coaches marvelling at his efforts.
“He talks it, but he walks it now,” Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson said following the Reds’ 30-21 win over the Brumbies. That comment was telling because Salakaia-Loto hasn’t quite delivered on what many have thought he’s capable of.
But an improved body height in contact has seen him get through contact more than ever before. His much-improved season comes as Salakaia-Loto reaches his late twenties.
It’s an age when most locks are reaching the peak of their powers. Seldom, however, has Australian rugby been able to keep its developing locks at home during this period, with Izack Rodda, Adam Coleman and the Arnold brothers – Rory and Richie – all leaving for overseas riches well before their time was up in Super Rugby. And that is the lesson for Rugby Australia now – to do everything you can to keep your tall and heavy timber at home.
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Donno takes another step in road to Wallabies
He might have slipped down the pecking order last year, but Ben Donaldson is mounting a serious case to return to the Wallabies in 2026. While Carter Gordon is still probably the Wallabies’ first-choice No.10 given the money Rugby Australia forked out on bringing him back to Super Rugby, Donaldson’s form is proving impossible to ignore.
Against the Waratahs, Donaldson, save for one overcooked touch finder from a penalty, was brilliant. The 27-year-old benefitted from playing behind a pack that got plenty of ball, but he also regularly took on the line and made two clean linebreaks when there really wasn’t a lot happening. He was also safe under the high ball, which was an area of improvement for Donaldson.
Throw in his impressive goal-kicking this campaign and Donaldson looms as the perfect utility option in 2026. His combination with Henry Robertson, whose tempo is exceptional and his defensive work first-class, is also growing with every week. So rapid has Robertson’s rise that Brumbies skipper Ryan Lonergan is probably the man most under pressure to keep his spot in the Wallabies.
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Unheralded back who keep out NRL stars
He might not have the profile of Suaalii, Zac Lomax or even Mark Nawaqanitawase, but Dylan Pietsch’s work-rate, prowess in the air and ability to get on the ball has the former sevens star as a front-runner to snare one of the wing spots for the Wallabies.
Pietsch was the best player on the ground by a mile during the Force’s win over the Waratahs. Although Donaldson was classy, and the forward pack strong, especially when the Force’s three locks – Franco Molina, Darcy Swain and Jeremy Williams – went through the middle, it was Pietsch who turned the game.
The winger scored twice, but it was his efforts in the air and energy around the pitch that stood out. His all-round package could be enough to keep out Filipo Daugunu and one of rugby’s big names, with Max Jorgensen likely to snare the other wing spot.
And if you remember back to the third Lions Test, it was Pietsch who scored the opening try as he played his part in a fine back-three performance that also featured Tom Wright at fullback.
Brumbies clash Force’s biggest in history
Only a month ago, the Force were next in with a chance of making the finals. But after winning three of their past four matches, including beating the Reds, the Force aren’t just arguably Australia’s form side, they might even sneak into the finals if they beat the Brumbies on Saturday.
There’s still plenty of footy to be played, but with the Brumbies only seven points ahead of the Force, and Stephen Larkham’s men to have their second bye-round a week later, victory in Canberra could flip the Super Rugby standings on its head. And that’s a genuine possibility given the form guide of both sides.
The Force will also fancy their chances of finishing the season strongly, especially given they will host three games – the Reds, Fijian Drua and Waratahs – against opposition all outside the top three. Simon Cron, who will surely sign a one-year contract extension, deserves some credit for building a competitive roster that can handle the rigours of Super Rugby.
However, with Swain, Molina, Vaiolini Ekuasi and Bayley Kuenzle all heading overseas at season’s end, he will know that the challenge to recruit and retain talent is a year-to-year challenge for the Force. It’s why this weekend’s clash against the Brumbies is the biggest in their history, because the match could put them onto the precipice of a historic finals campaign.
Christy Doran’s Australian Super Rugby team of the week: 15 Mac Grealy, 14 Filipo Daugunu, 13 Josh Flook, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Dylan Pietsch (player of the round), 10 Ben Donaldson, 9 Henry Robertson, 8 Nick Champion de Crespigny, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Darcy Swain, 3 Zane Nonggorr, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 Sef Fa’agase
