Len Ikitau desperate to help Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii ‘pull the trigger' against the British and Irish Lions
Down 1-0 in the three-Test series, the Wallabies can't afford another defeat if they want the following weekend's clash in Sydney to be more than a dead rubber.
To level the series in Melbourne, the Wallabies need to find a way to get golden boy Suaalii – who switched codes last year on a multimillion-dollar deal after starring in the NRL for the Sydney Roosters – more involved in the game than he was in Australia's 27-19 first Test loss at Suncorp Stadium.
'I felt like I didn't really get him into the game as early as I wanted, but that's a lot of learnings I can take moving forward,' Ikitau said in discussing the need for his partner in the centres to get more of the ball.
'We've only played a handful of games together, but it's just trying to understand in what places he likes to get the ball, and feeding off each other.
'We've been going hard at training, making sure we know what we want as a centre pairing, and going off that.'
Ikitau said it was also up to Suaalii, as well as himself, to 'go looking for the ball'.
'We can't sit on the edge and expect the ball will come, because sometimes the way the game's played, it doesn't really get to an edge,' he said.
'It's not like rugby league. He doesn't have to stay on the left side. He can roam around and get into the ruck or close to the ruck if he has to, to get a touch and be in the game.'
'I know that he's just a freak of an athlete and he can step up to the occasion, and just play his footy.
'It's just being able to pull the trigger when then opportunity comes, and just being able to back our opportunity to pull the trigger.'
Ikitau, who made his Test debut in 2021 and has played 41 times for the Wallabies, felt it was also his responsibility to 'help' young flyhalf Tom Lynagh, who has just four appearances for Australia under his belt.
'I feel like I need to help Tommy. Tommy's only played a handful of games for the Wallabies, and it's just making sure he's got someone that he can rely on, and be comfortable with, and then just being able to flow and get the rest of the backline into the game,' Ikitau said.
'It's just giving Tommy the confidence to play his game and just backing him. We've got to back the young buck and let him play his game.'
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