‘I was intimidated’: Wallabies great recalls meeting Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii

Rugby World Cup winner Matt Burke remembers feeling “intimidated” by a 19-year-old Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii when the pair first met a couple of years ago. With a towering frame and proven athletic ability, Suaalii has since emerged as the poster boy for the NSW Waratahs.

Incredibly, Suaalii is yet to actually debut for the Waratahs in Super Rugby Pacific, but the former NRL flyer has already been tipped as a player to watch after a stunning outing for the Wallabies during their thrilling 42-37 win over England during last year’s Spring Tour.

Without even a minute of experience in Super Rugby or even New South Wales’ Shute Shield, Suaalii toyed with the English defence alongside Len Ikitau. Max Jorgensen flew down the left edge to win the Test, but Suaalii was rewarded with Player of the Match honours.

Suaalii is expected to debut for the Waratahs on Friday night against the Highlanders at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, with the hosts blessed with incredible talent courtesy of a noticeably significant off-season recruit drive.

Andrew Kellaway, Darby Lancaster, Taniela Tupou, Rob Leota and Isaac Kailea have all moved north from the Melbourne Rebels, where they’ve joined fellow Wallabies like Jake Gordon and Tane Edmed. But there’s no doubt the Suaalii is the talk of the town this season.

“The player that everyone’s talking about, the pinup boy, is Joseph Suaalii,” Burke said on Stan Sports’ Between Two Posts. “If you’ve never stood beside him… you stand and you look up. The first time I met him, I was standing on my tippy toes – I was intimidated and he was 19 years old.

“He’s just the most humble guy in knowing what he’s able to do… he’s got speed, strength and size as we’ve seen. He seems to read the game quite well.

“His debut in that England game was outstanding… I said to him, ‘Just get your hands on the ball early and then enjoy the game, enjoy the moment, don’t think too much, don’t put too much pressure on yourself.’

“The big one is, is he going to play 13 or is he going to play 15? Me, I’d play him at 13 like he did in that Wallabies outfit because it just gives you that really easy introduction into the game… if you get that touch early, you feel really involved in the game.”

It’s the big question that is yet to be officially answered: where will Suaalii play for the Waratahs under coach Dan McKellar? With the potential to play either in the centres or as an outside back, coach McKellar has an intriguing decision to make week-to-week.

Lalakai Foketi is a quality option to potentially join Suaalii in the midfield, while candidates to take the field either on the wings or at fullback include Max Jorgensen, Triston Reilly, Lancaster and Kellaway. All things considered, Burke doubled down on Suaalii’s best position.

“13 is a tough place to play because you’ve got a lot of people coming to that channel,” Burke explained.

“…If he’s got the chat to be able to tell people where to go at that 13 role, I think he’ll fit in quite well.

“If they target him, like the Brumbies are really good in decoy around that area, but I reckon he’ll find himself a little bit easier at 13, just for that comfort factor more than anything else… when he gets it, the crowd will go nuts.”