It took Michael Cheika just one Test to work out that Israel Folau wasn\u2019t an outside centre. Even though Folau scored late against the All Blacks in Japan in 2018, by the time the Wallabies had reached Great Britain on their end-of-year tour, Cheika, who lured the code-hopper to rugby union in 2013, had decided he was better suited to playing in the outside backs.<\/p>\n
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii must learn from Israel Folau<\/p>\n
The decision came after Australian<\/a> rugby worked out that Folau could still be hugely influential at fullback even if his side struggled and was on the wrong end of the scoreboard. Now, the Waratahs<\/a> must do the same with Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii<\/a>, whose mentor is Folau, and free up the 22-year-old by shifting the code-hopper to the back three.<\/p>\n Suaalii was by no means the only Waratahs back who struggled to get into the game during their 20-17 defeat to the Western Force, but his underwhelming return was the latest bit of evidence to suggest the prodigious talent is better suited elsewhere. After his spectacular take from the opening kick-off, Suaalii ran for only two metres in attack.<\/p>\n Just as alarming, however, was his wayward left-to-right pass that missed his teammates, leaving them scrambling backwards to pick up the ball. From that moment, Suaalii was barely sighted. He was eventually replaced after 60 minutes, with the Waratahs\u2019 medical team not wanting to push the Test regular upon his return from an eight-week injury (hamstring) lay-off.<\/p>\n Nor was it the first time that Suaalii has been left sullen, with Australian rugby\u2019s most expensive player regularly looking downcast during last year\u2019s miserable, winless tour of Europe. That was because Suaalii couldn\u2019t quite get his hands on the ball as much as he would have liked, nor in the areas of the field he wanted either. It didn\u2019t help that his forward pack was well-beaten either.<\/p>\n Fast-forward to this year\u2019s Super Rugby<\/a> competition and the Waratahs similarly struggled at the breakdown and in the contact zone against the Force. Unsurprisingly, Suaalii was missing in action. Making the decision to persist with Suaalii at outside centre all the more head-scratching is that the cross-code star\u2019s best game in sky blue in his maiden season last year was when he wore the No.15 jersey against Moana Pasifika.<\/p>\n On that afternoon, Suaalii set up three of the Waratahs\u2019 four tries in a match. Although the Waratahs were eventually overrun, his awesome display showed that Suaalii could be even more devastating at the back despite making his entrance on the international stage in the No.13 jersey under Joe Schmidt.<\/p>\n While Schmidt might see Suaalii as a No.13, and the Waratahs like playing him there to have a bigger body in the midfield, the time has come for the million-dollar man to shift to the back three. It could even free up Max Jorgensen, who has similarly been quiet since shifting from the wing to fullback.<\/p>\n Tate McDermott explains the \u2018complications\u2019 that have left him in race to be ready for Wallabies opener<\/a><\/p>\n Lesson in Aussie Rugby\u2019s most improved player<\/p>\n With Will Skelton to miss the entire international year, tight-head lock looked like a crisis position for the Wallabies in 2026. But cometh the hour, cometh the man. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto has played himself into career-best form over the past month, which should see him re-emerge as a regular in the Wallabies after slipping down the pecking order under Joe Schmidt last year. A week after taking it to the Blues, Salakaia-Loto scored a try by storming through Test teammate Nick Frost in contact.<\/p>\n He also regularly dented the line, was busy in defence (12 tackles) and took a couple of balls at the lineout, including one spectacular one-handed take, during his 80-minute performance. The performances haven\u2019t gone unnoticed, with his teammates and coaches marvelling at his efforts.<\/p>\n \u201cHe talks it, but he walks it now,\u201d Wallabies skipper Harry Wilson said following the Reds\u2019 30-21 win over the Brumbies. That comment was telling because Salakaia-Loto hasn\u2019t quite delivered on what many have thought he\u2019s capable of.<\/p>\n But an improved body height in contact has seen him get through contact more than ever before. His much-improved season comes as Salakaia-Loto reaches his late twenties.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an age when most locks are reaching the peak of their powers. Seldom, however, has Australian rugby been able to keep its developing locks at home during this period, with Izack Rodda, Adam Coleman and the Arnold brothers \u2013 Rory and Richie \u2013 all leaving for overseas riches well before their time was up in Super Rugby. And that is the lesson for Rugby Australia now \u2013 to do everything you can to keep your tall and heavy timber at home.<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n Donno takes another step in road to Wallabies<\/p>\n He might have slipped down the pecking order last year, but Ben Donaldson is mounting a serious case to return to the Wallabies in 2026. While Carter Gordon is still probably the Wallabies\u2019 first-choice No.10 given the money Rugby Australia forked out on bringing him back to Super Rugby, Donaldson\u2019s form is proving impossible to ignore.<\/p>\n Against the Waratahs, Donaldson, save for one overcooked touch finder from a penalty, was brilliant. The 27-year-old benefitted from playing behind a pack that got plenty of ball, but he also regularly took on the line and made two clean linebreaks when there really wasn\u2019t a lot happening. He was also safe under the high ball, which was an area of improvement for Donaldson.<\/p>\n Throw in his impressive goal-kicking this campaign and Donaldson looms as the perfect utility option in 2026. His combination with Henry Robertson, whose tempo is exceptional and his defensive work first-class, is also growing with every week. So rapid has Robertson\u2019s rise that Brumbies skipper Ryan Lonergan is probably the man most under pressure to keep his spot in the Wallabies.<\/p>\n Wallabies great: \u2018I will only go to France if I can avoid prison\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Unheralded back who keep out NRL stars<\/p>\n He might not have the profile of Suaalii, Zac Lomax or even Mark Nawaqanitawase, but Dylan Pietsch\u2019s work-rate, prowess in the air and ability to get on the ball has the former sevens star as a front-runner to snare one of the wing spots for the Wallabies.<\/p>\n Pietsch was the best player on the ground by a mile during the Force\u2019s win over the Waratahs. Although Donaldson was classy, and the forward pack strong, especially when the Force\u2019s three locks \u2013 Franco Molina, Darcy Swain and Jeremy Williams \u2013 went through the middle, it was Pietsch who turned the game.<\/p>\n The winger scored twice, but it was his efforts in the air and energy around the pitch that stood out. His all-round package could be enough to keep out Filipo Daugunu and one of rugby\u2019s big names, with Max Jorgensen likely to snare the other wing spot.<\/p>\n And if you remember back to the third Lions Test, it was Pietsch who scored the opening try as he played his part in a fine back-three performance that also featured Tom Wright at fullback.<\/p>\n