Australia coach Joe Schmidt’s bold gamble to throw Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in for his Test debut at outside centre paid off spectacularly in the Wallabies’ stunning 84th-minute win against England.
Suaalii’s workload was significant, carrying responsibilities in attack and in defence. He also provided an aerial threat on restarts.
Below, we look at what happened every time he touched the ball and highlight the eight moments that sealed one of Australia’s best Test debuts ever.
Air Suaalii lands perfectly
6mins 5secs – Within five minutes, England have already taken the lead through a try from breakaway Chandler Cunningham-South. The Wallabies have a restart to help them reset after a tough start. Wallabies five-eighth Noah Lolesio weights the kick perfectly and Suaalii climbs in the air to beat England’s 1.98-metre tall forward Maro Itoje. It is an early example of the freakish athleticism that will put England on edge throughout the game. England 5 Wallabies 0
Quick hands
15:35 – Deep in his half, Suaalii receives a slow spin pass from his captain Harry Wilson with England winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso quickly putting pressure on him as he receives the ball. Suaalii quickly taps the ball to Wright to start an attacking opportunity that allows Dylan Pietsch move the Wallabies into the England half. England 12 Wallabies 3
Making amends with superman tackle
16:24 – He had a phenomenal debut, but there were some minor examples of defensive misreads by Suaalii that have to be expected given the steep learning curve. After second-rower Nick Frost takes the ball into contact and shovels a loose offload away, fullback Tom Wright misses a palm-off with the ball. A moment of indecision causes Suaalii to miss a tackle on England scrum-half Ben Spencer. Spencer puts through winger Tommy Freeman, who is bearing down on the tryline at pace. Scrambling back in defence from a standing start, Suaalii dives at full stretch to haul down Freeman eand stop the danger. England 12 Wallabies 3
Scooping up loose ball and offloading
21:18 – After an England prop loses the ball in contact, Suaalii quickly picks it up, draws two defenders to bring him down and offloads the ball to winger Andrew Kellaway to gain vital metres. England 15 Wallabies 3
Taking the ball in contact and offloading again
23:58 – After receiving a flat pass from his centre partner Len Ikitau, Suaalii stands straight in contact. With England’s Ollie Lawrence unable to wrestle him to the ground, he is easily able to get an offload to Tom Wright without losing his footing. England 15 Wallabies 3
The Tom Wright try assist
25:57 – Suaalii was playing in front of 80,000 fans far from home who were largely cheering against him, but his calmness on the field was fantastic. Ikitau had gone into contact and Lolesio was retaining the ruck, which placed winger Andrew Kellaway as a temporary five-eighth and the former Roosters player on his outside.
The easiest option would have been to run hard and direct into contact, but instead Suaalii decided to look for space, drawing two England defenders and showing a wonderful sleight of hand to give Tom Wright an easy run to the try line.
This play is an example of Suaalii’s ability to combine his strengths from growing up playing league and union. He has the passing skills honed in the tough world of the NRL with the discipline to always be available positionally in the 15-a-side code. England 15 Wallabies 3
A rare handling error
28:12 – Nobody is perfect. Suaalii receives a pass from Wright which comes quickly and at an angle, but he should still take it as the Wallabies try to counterattack from their own half. A knock on and an England scrum in a dangerous position. England 15 Wallabies 10
Tackle on Sleighthome
36:00 – England start to move through their attacking repertoire and Suaalii brings down England replacement winger Ollie Sleightholme with a solid tackle. England 18 Wallabies 17
The basics matter
40:08 – Even for an athlete as gifted as Suaalii, there is a huge change to undertake in muscle memory after moving from elite league to union, specifically at the breakdown. For the past five years, Suaalii has taken the ball on in contact and not had to worry about ball presentation or a ruck forming over him.
Schmidt firmly believes that if you can get the basics of rugby union right, you are infinitely more competitive.
This is not a flashy highlight, but it shows Suaalii’s ability to quickly master the fundamentals of his new craft. He takes the ball off Wilson and goes into contact at pace, then knowing his job isn’t over once he’s brought down, he presents a perfect ball that allows Ikitau to gain quick attacking possession. England 18 Wallabies 17
Second half starts with aerial victory
40:00 – England understood the threat Suaalii possessed in attack and in defence, but they were visibly shocked at his ability to win the ball from restarts. Starting the second half, Suaalii again is used in a position that is normally the preserve of second-rowers. Suaalii can match opposition locks in height and can dominate them with his incredible athleticism.
Credit again must go to Lolesio who times his kick with just enough time for Suaalii to take a tap against Itoje that gives his side the perfect start to the second period. England 18 Wallabies 20
Hangtime at the home of rugby
45:59 – Suaalii’s ability to quickly and easily build relationships with his teammates off the field has been documented, but on the field he has already developed a deep understanding not only with Ikitau in the centre, but also with Lolesio. Before the five-eighth has even shaped to receive the ball for a chip, Suaalii is already on the tips of his toes ready to accelerate to take the ball in the air.
He jumps and stays in the air long enough to flip the ball back blindly to the upcoming Wright. It is a mix of studying the playbook to sense Lolesio’s kick and using his athletic gifts to work on impulse to create an opportunity for his teammates. England 18 Wallabies 20
Double team tackle with Ikitau
63:44 – The Wallabies have moved into a five-point lead thanks to a brilliant try from second-rower Jeremy Williams and a penalty from Lolesio. England are starting to gain confidence with their five-eighth Marcus Smith moving to fullback to accommodate George Ford.
Suaalii’s opposite number, Ollie Lawrence, who is normally a No.12, uses the tools of his regular position to try to out-muscle the Test debutant in contact. Suaalii works perfectly with Ikitau to put in a strong tackle on Lawrence, who loses the ball in contact. A centre partnership is built on trust and intuition and throughout the game in attack and defence, Ikitau and Suaalii showed plenty of it. England 23 Wallabies 28
Tackle on Nick Isiekwe
68:53 – Suaalii does well to bring down one of the few men on the field who is bigger and heavier than him in England second-rower Nick Isiekwe, using his bodyweight to bring the forward down. England 30 Wallabies 28
The final roll of the dice
79:24 – In normal circumstances, this is where the Wallabies would have lost this game in a typically heartbreaking fashion. After doing so much right in London, they concede a try after Itoje bursts off the base of the ruck and Smith converts.
Every single play is vital for the Wallabies and the first task is to win the ball back from a restart that they have little right to win. If England win, they can use their forwards to keep the ball tight, run the clock down and kick the ball dead.
For the third time, Suaalii rises in the air to challenge Itoje, with the ball climbing just the specified 10 metres. Itoje manages to beat Suaalii but because he’s under so much pressure, he can’t get clean contact with the ball that spills forward. It leads to a Wallabies scrum that sets the team up with the attacking platform that keeps the game live. England 37 Wallabies 35
Building to victory
82:44 – The clock is deep in the red and any error from the Wallabies will lead to referee Ben O’Keeffe blowing the whistle and England escaping with victory. Suaalii takes the ball into contact, with most people expecting the Wallabies to search for a drop goal opportunity.
Suaalii doesn’t make any ground as he’s hauled to the ground by two defenders, but he is forcing space for those outside him. In less than 15 seconds, Ikitau has given a miraculous flick pass and Max Jorgensen has scored to seal an incredible victory. England 37 Wallabies 42
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