Rugby Australia’s early release of Mark Nawaqanitawase to the Roosters in August is shaping as the “good faith” gesture that will pave the way for Joseph Suaalii to join the Wallabies on their Spring Tour of the UK and Ireland next month.
Eighteen months after Suaalii signed a three-year deal with Rugby Australia and the Waratahs, his first steps in professional rugby will be thrashed out this week, following the Roosters’ exit from the NRL finals.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said at the weekend he planned to sit down with Suaalii to discuss the prospect of him going on the tour, pending official clearance, after the 21-year-old had told media a few weeks earlier he was going on the trip.
Suaalii is contracted to the Roosters until November 1 (and also begins his RA contract on that date), but with the Wallabies leaving for the four-Test Grand Slam tour on October 31 – and due to hold two training camps in the second half of October – an early release from his NRL contract may be required.
Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh said conversations with Schmidt, the Roosters, Suaalii and his agent would be held in coming days.
“We haven’t finalised anything at this point … the more great athletes we have in our environment the better, but this week will be an important week just working through what Joe Schmidt’s plans are with selection,” Waugh said.
Joseph Suaalii in action against the Melbourne Storm.Credit: Getty Images
“[Then] the right thing to do will be to work with the Roosters, with Joseph’s manager and make sure Joseph’s feeling comfortable about the direction we’re travelling. We’ll get in a room and work through that sensibly.”
With the likelihood Suaalii will be involved in the Wallabies’ series against the British and Irish Lions next July, and with no opportunities in between, Schmidt is keen to have him on the Spring Tour to begin acclimatising and training in the Wallabies environment.
Marika Koroibete went on the tour in 2016, several weeks after playing in the NRL grand final for the Storm, though he wasn’t considered for a Test debut, and only played in a Wallaby XV game against the French Barbarians. Suaalii may follow a similar path, with a Wallaby XV (Australia ‘A’) playing two fixtures next month in England on an adjacent tour.
But Waugh said there was a desire to ensure “we are not rushing him” and pointed to Suaalii already having a strong background in rugby.
Marika Koroibete made his test debut against Argentina in 2017.Credit: Stuart Walmsley/ARU
In contrast to the friction between the Roosters and RA when former chairman Hamish McLennan poached Suaalii, Waugh said he had a “good relationship with [Roosters chairman] Nick [Politis]” and others at the club. And while Waugh denied speculation an early Suaalii release was offered by the Roosters in exchange for Nawaqanitawase’s early transfer in August, the RA boss said there was mutual respect between the Moore Park neighbours.
“In terms of the conversation around Mark it was, ‘Well let’s have a sensible conversation, we would love to select Mark in the Sevens but equally after the Sevens campaign then we’ll work in good faith to release him to you guys, and the expectation would be at the right time that’s reciprocated with us’,” Waugh said.
“It’s raising ourselves above what’s gone on historically and work through what’s best for the athletes, and what’s best for both organisations.”
The question for cash-strapped RA, however, may be whether they want to start paying Suaalii early. On a $1.6m a year contract, even two weeks extra wages would cost the union $60,000.
Addressing the Wallabies’ results in a first Test winter under Joe Schmidt, Waugh said he’d been pleased to see big crowds turn out for five Tests, particularly after the anger and despondency that swamped the code last year. The combined attendance was 240,363, at 85 per cent capacity.
“We’ve absolutely got to put our hand up and take responsibility of where the organisation was at the end of 2023, and I’ve never shied away from that,” Waugh said.
“The response from Australian public’s been fantastic in terms of their support of the team.”
The Wallabies went 1-5 in the Rugby Championships and are down to 10th in world rankings but Waugh re-iterated he believed the team was making progress after a “complete reset”.
“In the first season under Joe and [with] a fairly inexperienced squad coming through, we’ve got to have realistic expectations around results – but actually set the bar pretty high in terms of progress,” he said.
“And if you look at it from the first test against Wales through to where the guys ended up in Wellington, we’ve seen continual progress. Obviously it hasn’t been linear in that level of progression but there’s been pleasing progress across all aspects of the game.”
