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The latest on Joseph Suaalii's game ending injury in Murrayfield

Australia's centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is treated by medical staff after being hurt in a collision with Scotland's centre Sione Tuipulotu (not pictured) during the Autumn Nations Series International rugby union test match between Scotland and Australia at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on November 24, 2024. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii could yet face Ireland in Dublin on next weekend despite being forced off the pitch after just 30 minutes of action in his side’s 27-13 defeat to Scotland in the Autumn Nations Series. 

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The Wallabies centre sustained the injury while delivering a powerful tackle on Scotland’s Sione Tuipulotu. While the hit floored the Scottish captain, Suaalii came off second best and required immediate medical attention before being removed from the game.

RugbyPass understands that the injury, initially concerning given the manner of his exit, is just as a ‘stinger’ and is not serious, suggesting Suaalii’s withdrawal was more precautionary than anything else.

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Suaalii was later seen at Edinburgh Airport as the Wallabies prepared to fly to Dublin for their final fixture against Ireland. His arm was not immobilized or in plaster, and the player did not display visible discomfort as he interacted with teammates while waiting to board the short flight across the Irish Sea.

“He’s got pretty numb arm, but we’re hopeful it’s not too bad,” said head coach Joe Schmidt. “But losing Joseph early didn’t help.”

Suaalii’s condition will be monitored by the Wallabies’ medical staff in the coming days, but early indications suggest he may be available for selection in the upcoming match.

The encounter against Ireland will be Australia’s last test of the year as they conclude their Northern Hemisphere tour.

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The Wallabies began their tour with two big wins against England and Wales before falling to Scotland at Murrayfield.  High-profile cross-code recruit Suaalii, has shown flashes of his potential during the series but will be eager to return to action and contribute in the tour finale against the Irish heavyweights.

It had been a challenging week for Australia. In the 24 hours before the game, they lost both key hooker Matt Faessler through injury and poorly lock Jeremy Williams.

“We were already a little bit glued together,” conceded Schmidt. “But it’s a really good exercise for us to be put in that situation against a good team and I felt they stayed really competitive – albeit you can’t miss 30-plus tackles in an international against a really good team and expect to get the result.”

More updates on the 21-year-old’s fitness and the Wallabies’ preparations for the Ireland game are expected as the squad resumes training in Dublin.

additional reporting AAP

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Comments

2 Comments
F
Flashie 16 days ago

He’s played there before but the opposition was much tougher this time around

O
OJohn 16 days ago

He was attempting a thinly disguised rugby league shoulder charge playing in a position he shouldn't be and paid the price. Great coaching Schmidt.

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JW 17 minutes ago
'It doesn’t make sense for New Zealand to deny itself access to world-class players'

There are a couple of inadequacies in this articles points as well.


First

Robertson, in what he has said publicly, is building his argument for change as a means to close the gap that is increasing between the All Blacks and South Africa.

Based on recent performances, the All Blacks are better than the Springboks.


Second

Both games saw the All Blacks lead coming into the last 30 minutes, only for the momentum to shift dramatically once the two sides emptied their respective benches.

The failings of the second half were game plan related, they happened regardless of whether the bench had yet (play got worse very early in the half, even in the first half) been used or not.


And third

Robertson’s view is that because the Boks don’t lose access to their experienced players when they head offshore, it gives them an advantage

Didn't Razor have the most experienced team all year?


Also

“Sam Cane and Ardie Savea with Wallace Siti, what a balance that is.

This is part of Razor's problem. That's a terrible balance. You instead want something like Sam Cane, Hoskins Sotutu, Wallace Sititi. Or Ardie Savea, Sititi, Scott Barrett. Dalton Papaili'i, Savea, Finau. That is balance, not two old struggling to keep up players and an absolute rookie.

It has changed. Not many go north, more go to Japan, so how do we get the balance right to ensure that players who have given loyalty, longevity and who are still playing well

Experience is a priceless commodity in international rugby and New Zealand has a system where it throws away players precisely when they are at their most valuable.

You mean how do we take advantage of this new environment, because nothing has effectively changed has it. It's simply Japan now instead of Europe. What's it going to be like in the future, how is the new American league going to change things?


Mo'unga is the only real valid reason for debating change, but what's far more important is the wide discussion happening that's taking the whole game into account. The current modem throws players away because they decided to go with a 5 team model rather than a 12 or 14 team model. Players have to be asked to leave at the point were we know they aren't going to be All Blacks, when they are playing their best rugby, reached their peak. In order to reset, and see if the next guy coming through can improve on the 'peak' of the last guy. Of course it's going to take years before they even reach the departing players standards, let alone see if they can pass them.


What if there can be a change that enables New Zealand to have a model were players like Jamison Gibson-Park, James Lowe, Bundee Aki, Chandler Cunningham-South, Ethan Roots, Warner Dearns are All Blacks that make their experienced and youth developemnt the envy of the World. That is the discussion that really needs to be had, not how easy it is to allow Mo'unga to play again. That's how the All Blacks end up winning 3 World Cups in a row.

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