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Newly capped Wallaby Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii headlines Waratahs squad

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is pictured during an Australia Wallabies Training Session at the AIS on October 14, 2024 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

Following the NSW Waratahs’ poor season in 2024, new coach Dan McKellar will take charge of a new-look squad that’s headlined by the inclusion of Wallabies Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Andrew Kellaway, Taniela Tupou, Rob Leota, Isaac Kailea, and Darby Lancaster.

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The Waratahs collected the figurative wooden spoon last time out after winning just two of 14 matches across the season. They did go through a staggering front row injury crisis during that campaign, which included the loss of Wallaby Angus Bell for most of the season.

But there’s plenty of reasons to be interested in and excited by the Waratahs ahead of the new season, with the Sydney-based Super Rugby Pacific club bringing in some massive signings. There is no bigger name in this list than Suaalii, who starred for the Wallabies last weekend against England.

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In Suaalii’s first match of professional rugby union – at any level – the midfielder received Player of the Match honours as Australia recorded a famous win over the old foe. Rugby Australia’s marquee recruit joins a handful of other Wallabies by joining the Tahs.

Tupou and Kellaway have been regular starters for the Wallabies under national coach Joe Schmidt, while Kailea and Lancaster have also started Tests in 2024. As Leota, the backrower hasn’t donned Wallaby gold since last year’s Rugby World Cup in France.

“It’s great to be here at the Tahs, I’ve settled in really well,” Leota said in a statement after signing with the club.

“I’ve got good relationships with Belly, Porecki and a few other boys, but I’ve also got a lot of family in Sydney as well which has made the transition easier for me, especially leaving home for the first time.

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“It’s good to obviously have som Rebels boys here as well that I’ve played with the last couple of years. Darby is a Wallaby now and I know that he and Kellaway will both be great additions to the Tahs next year.

“Dan McKellar was another big reason why I came here as well. He’s a coach that’s hard but fair. He’s going to expect us to work hard and concentrate on the little effort areas.

“I’m looking to use my experience to help the young boys here, especially the guys in my position. It’s about challenging myself too. I don’t want to come here and take a backwards step. I really want to enjoy my time here and get some good wins next year.

“I can’t wait to run out onto Allianz Stadium for the first time as a Tah.”

Tane Edmed is back for another season after a strong NPC stint with North Harbour in New Zealand. The playmaker has since been included in a Wallabies squad for the first time, but is yet to debut after missing selection for the Test at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium.

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All that said, the Tahs have lost some talented players including Mark Nawaqanitawase to the NRL and Dylan Pietsch to the Western Force. Lachlan Swinton is another massive loss, with the former Wallaby heading to the Top 14 in France.

NSW Waratahs squad for 2025

Adrian Brown, Ale Aho, Andrew Kellaway*, Angelo Smith*, Angus Bell, Archie Saunders, Ben Grant*, Brad Amituanai, Charlie Gamble, Clem Halaholo, Daniel Botha, Darby Lancaster*, David Porecki, Ethan Dobbins*, Fergus Lee-Warner, Henry O’Donnell*, Hugh Sinclair, Isaac Kailea*, Jack Barrett, Jack Bowen, Jack Grant, Jackson Ropata, Jake Gordon, James Hendren, Joey Walton, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii*, Julian Heaven, Lalakai Foketi, Langi Gleeson, Lawson Creighton*, Leafi Talatiana*, Lukhas Ripley, Mahe Vailanu, Max Jorgensen, Mesu Kunavula, Miles Amatosero, Rob Leota*, Siosifa Amone*, Tane Edmed, Taniela Tupou*, Teddy Wilson, Thomas Lambert, Triston Reilly

Louis Rees-Zammit joins Jim Hamilton for the latest episode of Walk the Talk to discuss his move to the NFL. Watch now on RugbyPass TV

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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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