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Waratahs issue brutal update on Wallabies star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii
By Ian Cameron
The Waratahs have confirmed that Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii will miss up to eight weeks after suffering a hamstring injury in the warm-up before Friday night’s clash with the Hurricanes at Allianz Stadium.
It’s a major blow for Dan McKellar’s Tahs.
The cross-code star was withdrawn shortly before kick-off after picking up the issue during preparations for the Super Rugby fixture in Sydney, with coach McKellar handing youngster George Poolman a debut in his place.
Scans carried out the following day have now revealed the extent of the injury, with the centre now facing a six to eight week spell on the sidelines.
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The Waratahs statement reads: “The NSW Waratahs can confirm that Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii suffered a hamstring injury in the warm-up before Friday night’s match against the Hurricanes at Allianz Stadium.
“Following results of a scan yesterday, the centre will now miss six to eight weeks of action.”
Suaalii’s withdrawal proved an ominous start to a difficult evening for the Waratahs.
The Aussie side were comprehensively beaten 59-19 by a rampant Hurricanes outfit. The New Zealand visitors ran in nine tries to three to extend a dominance in the fixture that stretches back more than a decade.
It wasn’t all bad. Despite the heavy defeat, Wallabies winger Max Jorgensen continued his prolific run of form with another try-scoring double, giving him three successive braces in the competition.
The Hurricanes, meanwhile, were powered by a second-half hat-trick from centre Billy Proctor, with winger Bailyn Sullivan also crossing twice.
The Waratahs had begun the campaign strongly with consecutive bonus-point wins over the Queensland Reds and Fijian Drua, but the loss brought them crashing back to earth and the injury to their biggest star certainly doesn’t help matters.
“I believe it’s pretty hard,” Suaalii said of his transition to rugby union. “You’ve got to learn the little details of the game. People compare it but I do believe it’s a whole different game.”
“The game speaks for itself,” he said. “You get to play in different countries – England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, you know. In the last year and a half, I’ve been able to experience all these different countries.
“And for my parents to come across as well, that’s been a special, special thing.”
