Fiji have 113kg human missile aimed at Wallabies' Suaalii

Playing more than 160 VFL games before taking on roles with the Wallabies, All Blacks and now coach of Fiji, Mick Byrne has seen some talented athletes in his time.

But the memory of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii sticks in his mind as Byrne plots a way to shut down the Wallabies superstar in Sunday’s Test in Newcastle.

He recalled meeting Suaalii when he was an assistant to Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, with the schoolboy making an immediate impression on the pair.

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“I remember when ‘Cheik’ and I first met him when I was at the Wallabies and a young schoolboy came in, before he signed with rugby league, and we knew then that he was a tremendous athlete,” Byrne said of the NRL recruit, who will line up for his fourth Test.

“I think he offers a dimension to the game that not many athletes can… it’s a bit like Izzy (Israel Folau) in his day as well, that aerial skill set as well as being really well balanced across the ground.

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“Like a lot of international players we come up against, we’ve got to keep our eye on him, but I think as a player he just offers another sort of dimension, being that aerial skill set that we’ll have to be aware of as well.”

Byrne named a strong line-up to try to contain Suaalii and the Wallabies, who are looking to make amends after losing their last clash against Fiji at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Byrne has since replaced Simon Raiwalui as coach, but has been able to include 13 players who were part of that historic match in France, posting their first win over Australia in 69 years.

That includes the entire forward pack apart from flanker Elia Canakaivata.

Fiji have their own midfield weapon in Josua Tuisova, who was key to their success in Saint Etienne, with Byrne looking to get some punch from the inside centre.

Weighing 113kg, Tuisova’s nicknames are “Human Bulldozer” and “The Bus”.

“Josh shifts the ball well and he’s got great feet and he’s a big, strong player,” Byrne said of Tuisova, who plays for Racing 92 in France’s Top 14.

“We’ve got the opportunity to use him to get across the gain line early… so being able to have Josh there is awesome for us because he does give us pretty good go-forward.”

While the World Cup win has bolstered belief, Byrne said the changes to the Wallabies since then presented a different challenge as his team looked to notch a third win in Australia, with the last in 1954.

“The last start was two years ago, so different coaching regime, different players on the field, and I like the way (Australia coach Joe Schmidt) has got the Wallabies playing and now they’re playing great footy,” Byrne said.

“So they’re a completely different proposition to previous and we’ve got to be ready for that as they’ve got threats across the field.

“I think it’d be great to beat Australia in Australia, to get a victory on Australian soil.”