Day one of the pre-match engagements before the first Test between the British & Irish Lions and Australia brings an audience with Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. Sitting next to him is the hulking Will Skelton but there is no doubt as to who the Wallabies’ big gun is. He cost a pretty penny after all and it is no surprise that Australia wasted little time in wheeling him out to start the gun on a series in need of a bit of a sell over here.
He is just 21 – a point hammered home when revealing he was just nine the last time the Lions toured Australia, taking inspiration from a nigh-on unplayable Israel Folau – but he talks with the same assuredness with which he plays. He readily admits that these are the occasions for which he made the move from the NRL to rugby union and in setting the tone for Australia at the start of the week, he fulfilled his role to a tee.
What did he make of Henry Pollock’s claim that the Lions are seeking to whitewash the Wallabies? “Yeah, I heard about it,” he says, in a manner that suggests he wasn’t delighted to hear it but he opts against biting back. What about any lingering beef with Melbourne-born Sione Tuipulotu, a potential midfield opponent on Saturday? The pair clashed during Scotland’s victory over the Wallabies in November with Suaalii’s parting shot a pithy “see you next time” before leaving the field with an injury.
The context here is that Suaalii was sent off for a frankly ludicrous tackle after only seven minutes of his one and only State of Origin appearance last year, before making the switch to union. It was only the sixth ever red card shown in the NRL’s three-match showpiece. In other words, he is preparing for the biggest match of his career since the biggest mistake featured in it and he could well come up against someone with whom he has previous.
Asked about exchanging words with Tuipulotu, he says: “Yep, yep, yeah – we did. Once you do things on the footy field, you keep them on the footy field. I am ready to go and ready to play. I don’t have too much to say about that. There has been a lot of talk around that moment. At the end of the day, it is a game of footy. Whatever is said on the field, stays on the field. Who knows what team they are going to pick but whoever they pick we are ready to go.”
What of learning his lesson after his sending off? “The biggest thing I learned was my off-field prep and the way I was leading into that week just taught me a lot about myself leading into these big games,” he says. “It is just about being neutral – not being too high or too low and not playing the game before playing it. I think that was my biggest lesson from that game. Obviously these games are going to be big but we are just focused on today’s training session leading into the game on Saturday. Just keep neutral.”
That goes a way to explaining Suaalii’s pre-match routine. He can be seen standing between the posts, barefoot, headphones on, meditating, before a bit of juggling to sharpen his hand-eye coordination. “I am a pretty weird person, I think a lot of people know that,” he adds. “I like to take in the crowd, where I am right now. Honestly just taking the whole experience in, especially leading into these days. These are the things you dream about as a kid. The biggest thing is just enjoying every single moment. It could be having coffee with the boys or on the field playing. When I am playing the game, I’m playing every single moment. That’s what I am doing before the game. I see my family, embrace them, embracing teammates. Trying to stay in the now.”
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Skelton is then asked for his take on his superstar teammate who, it is easy to forget, will be making just his fifth appearance for the Wallabies on Saturday. “He is himself, he is not being anyone else, even when he is wearing his Louis Vuitton and singing his album [Suaalii is a member of rap group Dreamyourz], he is being him. That all as a player you want to be and a coach like Joe, he wants us to express ourselves and be ourselves. He is a great asset to have in the team.”
The role of supporting man comes easily to Skelton but the fact that he has recovered from a calf injury and can line up against his former Saracens teammate Maro Itoje in the second row is a huge boost for his head coach, Joe Schmidt. He gave an answer too, in response to a question about how his La Rochelle side have held the edge over Leinster – who now provide 14 members of the Lions squad – and the significant role he has played but might just have been a response to the Lions’ targeted whitewash. “I think if you put pressure on any team, they can crack.”
