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Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii included for Wallabies debut versus England

Australia's Harry Wilson, Angus Bell and Jeremy Williams stand for the anthem last time out versus New Zealand (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Joe Schmidt has made just a single change to his Wallabies team to take on England this Saturday in London, handing rookie Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii his Test debut. Australia were beaten 13-33 by New Zealand in their most recent outing, the September 28 Rugby Championship loss in Wellington.

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They now open their four-match Autumn Nations Series at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham with 14 of those starters retained, the exception being Suaalii, the Australian union’s new recruit from the NRL Roosters, who has been named in place of Hunter Paisami.

A statement read: “21-year-old Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii will make his Test debut against England on Saturday in London. The former Australian schoolboys and U18s representative has been selected at outside centre and will partner Len Ikitau in the midfield for the Wallabies in their first Test of the 2024 tour.

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Wallaby scrumhalf Jake Gordon and lock Will Skelton presser

Video Spacer

Wallaby scrumhalf Jake Gordon and lock Will Skelton presser

“Suaalii is the only change to the starting XV from the side’s last Test against New Zealand in Wellington with Angus Bell, Matt Faessler and Taniela Tupou making up the front row. There are a total of 14 players in the match day 23 who will play at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham for the first time, including second row pairing of Nick Frost and Jeremy Williams who start together for the fourth consecutive Test.

“The back row sees the 2024 John Eales medallist, Rob Valetini, start at blindside flanker, with Fraser McReight on the openside and captain Harry Wilson at the back of the scrum. Jake Gordon and Noah Lolesio will partner in the halves for the sixth time this season as the men in gold kick off their first Grand Slam opportunity since 2016.

Team Form

Last 5 Games

0
Wins
2
5
Streak
2
12
Tries Scored
21
-24
Points Difference
-26
2/5
First Try
3/5
3/5
First Points
2/5
2/5
Race To 10 Points
3/5

“Dylan Pietsch retains his spot on the left edge after making his starting debut in Wellington, with Andrew Kellaway named on the right edge and Tom Wright at full-back. Hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa and props James Slipper and Allan Alaalatoa make up an experienced replacement front row. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto will bring further experience off the pine as the substitute second-rower, with Langi Gleeson to provide impact in the loose forwards.

“Queensland’s Tate McDermott is the replacement scrum-half with the versatile Ben Donaldson providing cover in a number of positions across the backline. Max Jorgensen rounds out the match day 23, for what will be his first Test in the northern hemisphere.”

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Head coach Schmidt said: “The side has adjusted well to the travel and have had a couple of trainings up here to prepare for what will be a very tough challenge on Saturday. Playing in front of vocal home crowds in some of the most renowned rugby stadiums in the world is an exciting prospect, with many of the players on their first spring tour.”

Australia (vs England, Saturday)
1. Angus Bell (33 Tests) – Hunters Hill Rugby
2. Matt Faessler (12 Tests) – USQ Saints
3. Taniela Tupou (56 Tests) – Brothers Rugby
4. Nick Frost (21 Tests) – Hornsby Lions
5. Jeremy Williams (8 Tests) – Wahroonga Tigers
6. Rob Valetini (48 Tests) – Harlequin Junior Rugby Club
7. Fraser McReight (22 Tests) – Albany Creek Brumbies
8. Harry Wilson (c) (19 Tests) – Gunnedah Red Devils
9. Jake Gordon (27 Tests) – Canterbury Juniors
10. Noah Lolesio (26 Tests) – Tuggeranong Vikings
11. Dylan Pietsch (4 Tests) – Leeton Phantoms
12. Len Ikitau (35 Tests) – Tuggeranong Vikings
13. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii (uncapped) – The Kings School
14. Andrew Kellaway (35 Tests) – Hunters Hill Rugby
15. Tom Wright (33 Tests) – Clovelly Eagles

Replacements:
16. Brandon Paenga-Amosa (16 Tests) – Southern Districts
17. James Slipper (140 Tests)– Bond Pirates
18. Allan Alaalatoa (76 Tests) – West Harbour Juniors
19. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (37 Tests) – Randwick
20. Langi Gleeson (9 Tests) – Harbord Harlequins
21. Tate McDermott (37 Tests) – Flinders Rugby Club
22. Ben Donaldson (13 Tests) – Clovelly Eagles
23. Max Jorgensen (3 Tests) – Balmain Wolves

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Comments

12 Comments
A
Ardy 13 days ago

I thought Donaldson for this game ie he can tackle. Ignoring Skelton due to only one week in camp is nonsense. Kerevi not even on the bench is madness.

N
NK 11 days ago

No idea about Kerevi's current form but I think Ikitau is a very good 12 and probably better on defence. Totally agree with you about Skelton.

O
OJohn 13 days ago

If you don't think kiwi resident Joe Schmidt isn't setting out to sabotage the Wallabies after this decision you must have very dark blinkers on.

Unbelievable.

A
Ardy 11 days ago

oJohn, I know it's a Kiwi conspiracy with Schmidt getting us this win just to lull us into a false sense of self confidence.

C
Cheers 13 days ago

I've found Campo's burner account. Everyone come see

f
fl 13 days ago

ur a dumb-dumb

m
mJ 13 days ago

Poor Side with little quality. Locks, halves and back three ordinary at best and apart from McDermott, Salakaia-Lotto and BPA really poor out of form bench. Wallabies are in dire needs if this is the best side Schmidt thinks he can roll out. Easily beaten in the rugby championship and England shouldn’t have any issues.

O
OJohn 13 days ago

This is not the best side Schmidt can roll out. He chooses not to for what are obvious reasons now. He's just doing a snow job on Australian rugby for his forty pieces of silver.

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J
JW 3 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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