Waratahs given Suaalii directive ahead of star's debut

The NSW Waratahs are under express instructions to feed Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii the ball in the superstar signing’s much-anticipated Super Rugby Pacific debut.

Fittingly, Suaalii returns on Friday night to Allianz Stadium – where he rose from teenage prodigy to Sydney Roosters and NSW State of Origin fame – for his maiden appearance for the Waratahs against the Highlanders.

Bookmakers rate the Highlanders as far and away the weakest of the five New Zealand franchises, and Waratahs skipper Jake Gordon on Thursday acknowledged the importance of opening the season in winning fashion after the despair of last year’s injury-riddled, last-placed finish.

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Off the North West of Scotland on the Isle of Lewis, you will find one of the UK’s most remote rugby teams: Stornoway RFC.
They show true dedication and passion for the game, overcoming unique challenges to compete.

And Gordon and coach Dan McKellar know how Suaalii will play a pivotal role in reviving the new-look side’s fortunes in 2025.

“It’s about getting his hands on the ball,” Gordon said after the Waratahs’ captain’s run at their Daceyville base.

“Dan has spoken about it. We’ve got a guy with talent – and to be fair we’ve got talent across the whole back line too so it’s not like Joe’s not going to win us or lose us a game.

“He definitely will have an influence on the game, but there’s guys around him that can do great jobs as well, so we need to get him the right ball in the right area of the field and also allow him to influence other people around him as well.

“We know his aerial skills, how good he is in the air, but his professionalism has been really impressive. Joe has been great for the group.”

As has become his ritual, Suaalii spent some 10 minutes meditating and visualising in the middle of the field after completing training extras with Gordon on the eve of his Waratahs debut.

His captain has no doubt the 21-year-old will rise to the occasion once again while starting at fullback, as he did in a man-of-the-match display in Australia’s upset win over England last November.

“We talk about his professionalism and I was lucky enough to share his Wallaby debut,” Gordon said.

“They probably don’t get much bigger than that at Twickenham and he had a great game, so …”

Suaalii is just one of a dozen Wallabies in the Waratahs’ 23-man matchday squad for round one, leaving last year’s wooden spooners under no illusions about the buzz surrounding them heading into the new season.

“Probably this year a little bit more than others, we can feel the hype,” Gordon said.

“But most Super Rugby years before the first round, you have a little bit of mixed emotions. You’re a little bit anxious, you’re really excited.

“We’re just trying to relax until the game comes but, yeah, we’re excited.

“We just want to play to our potential. We don’t want to come out here and talk about what we’re going to achieve. We need to be focused a little bit more internally week by week.

“We definitely feel like we’re in a position to really compete, but we want to reach our potential as a team.

“If we can reach our potential and play really strong as a team, we’ll be really confident.”

With a second-round bye to come, followed by visits to Sydney from the Fijian Drua and Western Force, the Tahs are targeting three wins to open 2025, knowing the 16-round competition is very much a sprint not a marathon.

“We’d probably prefer not to have a bye in the second round if we chose our draw,” Gordon said.

“But we’re thankful we’re not heading to Fiji either.

“So there is a real opportunity the first three games to slowly get into our work and hopefully play some good rugby.”