mens
international
Wallabies great Tim Horan wants to see Joseph-Aukuso Suaali play more on the wing between now and the men’s Rugby World Cup 2027, with the company enjoying some positive engagements in a 42-38 win over the Springboks.
Suaalii had only started at outside center for the Wallabies ahead of last weekend’s match against the Springboks, but coach Les Kiss made the headline-grabbing decision to move the 23-year-old.
The now 25-Test Wallaby struck immediately at Perth’s Optus Stadium, rising highest to claim possession after the first kick. Suaalii had several attempts at involvement before half-time as the home side took a seven-point lead.
But Kiss has not committed to keeping Suaali on the wing, even saying the two-time international could play fullback for the Wallabies. “It’s there for us,” the coach initially said when asked about Suaali on the wing.
Two-time Rugby World Cup winner Horan was asked about Suaali’s performance on the wing in celebrations marking one year until next year’s tournament kicks off. Horan predicts ‘Su’ could play more minutes on the wing in the short term.
“I think he’d be 12, he could be 10, he could play any position on the field, Joseph. He’s a great athlete first and a footballer second. I think he could easily play at 15,” Horan told reporters in Sydney.
“I’d like to see him a bit more on the wing between and the World Cup. You’ve got 12 months to probably play a few more games on the wing because you don’t want to come to the Rugby World Cup and you’ve only played one or two trial games there.”
“You want to see him out there a little bit longer and I think we’ll see that in the next couple of weeks.”
The Wallabies will be without Hunter Paisami for both matches in the upcoming Bledisloe Cup series, with the midfielder set to miss four Tests. Paisami was cited after later receiving a yellow card against the Springboks.
Ikitau played less than 60 minutes in the match after picking up an injury, but reigning medalist John Eales (Wallabies Player of the Year) has been named in the 34-man squad to face All black people in Auckland and Sydney.
“In Auckland, I think Isaac Henry showed he’s ready for a Test match now … hopefully Len Ikitau is right,” Horan said.
“I like how Joseph was on the wing, it gave him a little more freedom, and I like the way he can start to see the game in better shape from the wing.”
The Wallabies are on a six-match unbeaten run that stretches back to July, when Joe Schmidt coached the team to a 57-10 triumph over Italy. Kiss has since taken over and the Australians have managed four wins and a draw.
“I think there’s a bit of confidence for the Wallabies, with what they did against the Springboks, but we have to stay on the ground.
“It’s just early days for Les Kiss’s side. As I said before, the brand and style of rugby they play, people want to watch what you want too. You want fans, not just die-hard rugby fans, to watch the Wallabies, you want the floaters who watch everywhere else to watch the Wallabies and the gold jersey.
“We will tell you shortly in the next three weeks where the Wallabies are to play two Test matches against the All Blacks.”