‘Tested our character’: Suaalii opens up on Wallabies’ tough run

The Wallabies have endured a fierce test of character in the Quilter Nations Series, losing their last three Test matches – but as Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii explained, the squad’s focus hasn’t wavered before a Test against France in Saint-Denis.

Australia started their Spring Tour with a hard-fought four-point win over Japan in Tokyo, before flying to the UK for a clash with one of their traditional rivals. With a packed house at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium watching on, the Wallabies looked to repeat last season’s heroics.

Max Jorgensen scored the match-winner for the Wallabies in 2024 as they claimed a thrilling 42-37 win over England, but it was a different story this time around. England piled on the points, with Henry Pollock among the second-half try-scorers in the 18-point triumph.

The Wallabies suffered their second-ever loss to Italy the following weekend in Udine, before Ireland ran away with a historic 46-19 win in Dublin last Saturday. That was Ireland’s highest-ever score against the Wallabies, with Australia-born fullback Mack Hansen starring.

“The last three weeks has really tested our character as a team and even individuals as well,” Suaalii told reporters.

“I like to see it as a challenge that the last three weeks, obviously the result hasn’t been there but the process of how we’ve been training and each week and how we’re going about things has gone really well in my opinion.

“[All our focus is] on today and focus on training and how can we manipulate and get better and beat this French team on Sunday.”

Australia need to make history this weekend if they want to end their season on a winning note, chasing their first win over Les Bleus at Stade de France since November 19, 2016. These two sides have met at the venue twice since, France winning those Tests in 2022 and 2023.

France are looking to make it back-to-back wins in the Quilter Nations Series, bouncing back from a 15-point defeat to South Africa with a win over Fiji. The Flying Fijians fought passionately in a bid to secure what would’ve been a famous comeback, but France held on in Bordeaux.

If the French get the job done this weekend, it’ll be the Wallabies’ eighth loss from their last 10 Tests. The Wallabies beat the Springboks in August and have only tasted victory against Argentina and Japan in their nine matches since that comeback win in Johannesburg.

“As a group, honestly, we’re just focused on us,” Suaalii said.

“There’s different teams that have gone back from losses and different organisations but we’re really focused on how can we improve from Saturday to train today? We don’t look too far or too far back.

“Obviously, [we have] three losses in a row but like I’ve always been saying, it’s part of the process for us as a team. We’ll be better for it. Definitely believe in our team and we’ve got that trust and that glue that these three losses will help us long-term.”