Wallabies teammate hints Suaalii could be deployed in new position

With 12 months of the Joe Schmidt reign behind them the Wallabies have launched straight into “re-sharpening the sword” for the British and Irish Lions.

The Wallabies gathered in Sydney on Monday for their first training session ahead of three-Test Lions series which begins next month, and fullback Tom Wright said they hit the ground running.

“This morning was less about trying to push over a fresh load of information and plays and structures onto everyone’s plate, and more about a refresher, and getting everyone back into language and lingo, and then everyone just sort of hitting the ground running,” the Brumbies gun said.

“Last year it was a lot of trying to digest and absorb stuff but today it was just re-sharpening the sword, and it was exciting to see that translate as opposed to just picking it up fresh last year.”

With 37 Tests under his belt, Wright had a breakout campaign for the Wallabies on last year’s spring tour, scoring a hat-trick against Wales as well as racking up major carry metres and clean breaks.

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But with superstar league convert Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii able to play just about anywhere in the backline, including fullback, Wright knows there’s competition for the No.15 jersey – and welcomes it.

“He goes pretty well anytime he’s on the field,” Wright said of Suaalii, who was man of the match in his Test debut against England in November.

“His talent is probably second to none in the group, and you pair that with his work ethic that he’s got, it’s really impressive, and he gets the most out of all of us as his teammates.

“It was good to see competition for spots heat up today at training, so that’s the luxury that the coaching staff have. There’s going to be guys that miss out.”