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Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii responds to Henry Pollock’s bold 3-nil claim
By Finn Morton reporting from Brisbane
Rugby Australia’s multi-million dollar man Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has responded to Henry Pollock’s bold warning shot ahead of the Lions Series, with the young backrower saying a 3-nil sweep “is definitely on the table” for the tourists.
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Pollock scored a try for the British & Irish Lions on Saturday as the visitors continued their run into the Test series with an emphatic 48-nil demolition of the AUNZ Invitational XV. That side included 17 internationally capped players.
With the Lions also recording confidence-building wins over the Western Force, Queensland Reds, NSW Waratahs and ACT Brumbies during their tour of Australia, they remain strong favourites going into their three matches against the Wallabies.
“We’re all just trying to strive to be the best team we can and get that 3-0 win,” Pollock said. As for the Wallabies, they snuck by Fiji 21-18 in their only Test before facing the Lions, with captain Harry Wilson scoring a last-ditch winner.
While the Wallabies are firmly positioned as the underdogs, the message is clear ahead of the first Test this weekend in Brisbane – they’re focused on themselves. Suaalii did see Pollock’s comments but the Australians won’t use them as fuel or motivation this week.
“We’re just focused on ourselves to be honest,” Suaalii told reporters in Brisbane.
“We know there’s gonna be a lot of talk externally but our biggest thing going into these big games is just focusing on ourselves and our teammates and that’s it.”
Suaalii has only played five Test matches for the Wallabies, but the code-hooper will be looked at as a key figure for the national side during the next few weeks. After making a lucrative move to rugby union from the NRL, Suaalii received Player of the Match on debut for the Wallabies.
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Coach Joe Schmidt selected Suaalii in the starting midfield alongside ACT Brumbies centre Len Ikitau, with the pair helping spur the Wallabies towards an incredibly dramatic 42-37 win over England at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium last November.
Suaalii came off the bench the following week against Wales before starting against Scotland, Ireland, and more recently in the Fiji Test. In all four starts, Suaalii and Ikitau have partnered up in the midfield, which is also expected to be a crucial contest against the Lions.
While injury-plagued Suaalii’s rookie season in Super Rugby Pacific – playing seven matches but the fullback was still selected in the official Team of the Year – those experiences on last year’s Spring Tour mean the former NRL star understands “what’s going to come.”
“I’m blessed that Joe [Schmidt] just picked me straight away,” Suaalii said.
“In hindsight, that’s probably the best thing for me, just to get straight into it and then being able to play against the four nations that we’re playing against on Saturday, it gives myself that, I wouldn’t say confidence but just knowing that I’ve played against these guys before and I know what’s going to come.
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“We’ve done a lot of film and like I said, we’re just focused on ourselves. I think that’s the biggest thing I’m trying to push across is that we’re just focused on ourselves and that’s all we can control and what we can do.”