Latest news with #Joseph-AukusoSuaalii
Sydney Morning Herald
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Schmidt got it wrong and must ring changes
Rob Valetini and Will Skelton are all but certain to feature in the second Test against the British and Irish Lions in Melbourne next Saturday, but they can't be the only changes. With the Wallabies overpowered in the contact zones in Brisbane, coach Joe Schmidt must surely reverse some selection errors by starting Angus Bell and Billy Pollard up front as hooker Matt Faessler was predictably underdone. Halfback Jake Gordon was in similar territory, although he might be paradoxically spared by the impact that Tate McDermott brings off the bench. The best position for Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is also still up for debate - his selection at No.13 has forced Len Ikitau into a battering ram role that is a waste of his footwork and distribution skills. Lucky Lions dodged a yellow card Referee Ben O'Keeffe must have looked very hard to find the arms in the Ben Earl tackle on Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in the 59th minute as the No.13 tried to crash over from close range. It was a poor decision – Earl made little or no attempt to wrap – he turned his head away and threw a shoulder towards Suaalii's lower limbs. In fact, you could argue that Earl already had a knee on the ground when he hit Suaalii. It was a clear penalty and should have been a yellow card as the Lions had committed repeat infringements by that stage. Those types of tackles are a blight on the game – knee surgeons must wince every time they see them. There was good and bad from Suaalii There is a serious case for starting Hunter Paisami at No 12, moving Len Ikitau back into his right spot at No.13 and putting Suaalii to the wing, where the Lions looked relatively vulnerable on Saturday. Suaalii ran hard all night, with 10 carries, but there is no reason the Wallabies couldn't manufacture those opportunities for him in the No.11 or No.14 jersey. Defensively, there are still a few issues – he was caught a bit narrow for Huw Jones' disallowed try and his tendency to want to whack the man in possession, even after the pass is away, means he can take himself out of the play.
The Age
7 hours ago
- Sport
- The Age
Schmidt got it wrong and must ring changes
Rob Valetini and Will Skelton are all but certain to feature in the second Test against the British and Irish Lions in Melbourne next Saturday, but they can't be the only changes. With the Wallabies overpowered in the contact zones in Brisbane, coach Joe Schmidt must surely reverse some selection errors by starting Angus Bell and Billy Pollard up front as hooker Matt Faessler was predictably underdone. Halfback Jake Gordon was in similar territory, although he might be paradoxically spared by the impact that Tate McDermott brings off the bench. The best position for Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is also still up for debate - his selection at No.13 has forced Len Ikitau into a battering ram role that is a waste of his footwork and distribution skills. Lucky Lions dodged a yellow card Referee Ben O'Keeffe must have looked very hard to find the arms in the Ben Earl tackle on Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in the 59th minute as the No.13 tried to crash over from close range. It was a poor decision – Earl made little or no attempt to wrap – he turned his head away and threw a shoulder towards Suaalii's lower limbs. In fact, you could argue that Earl already had a knee on the ground when he hit Suaalii. It was a clear penalty and should have been a yellow card as the Lions had committed repeat infringements by that stage. Those types of tackles are a blight on the game – knee surgeons must wince every time they see them. There was good and bad from Suaalii There is a serious case for starting Hunter Paisami at No 12, moving Len Ikitau back into his right spot at No.13 and putting Suaalii to the wing, where the Lions looked relatively vulnerable on Saturday. Suaalii ran hard all night, with 10 carries, but there is no reason the Wallabies couldn't manufacture those opportunities for him in the No.11 or No.14 jersey. Defensively, there are still a few issues – he was caught a bit narrow for Huw Jones' disallowed try and his tendency to want to whack the man in possession, even after the pass is away, means he can take himself out of the play.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The money and magic of Suaalii Inc
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii made the short walk to his parked matte black Land Rover Defender on Lansdowne Street in Sydney's trendy inner-city suburb of Surry Hills. He'd just spent the day at a photo shoot for GQ magazine, dressed in more than $35,000 worth of luxury fashion goods and was carrying three tangerine-coloured Louis Vuitton shopping bags full of clothes back to his car. In a video uploaded to his Instagram from that day, the 21-year-old flashed more than $140,000 worth of goods in just one minute and 49 seconds. Though he's paid millions to play rugby, he likely kept the clothes for free. He'd arrived at Debut Studios earlier that day wearing a $225 jumper – a bargain compared to the outfits he would change into. In one shot, Suaalii wears a $3,500 baby-blue mohair sweater paired with jeans worth $3,150 and sneakers that cost $845 for each shoe. On his wrist, a stainless-steel watch worth $35,000. In another, a rugby polo, only this one costs $2,620, described as taking a 'chic twist' on the sportswear. In an ironic detail from that day, Debut Studios sits in Suite 61 on the sixth floor of the building. As Suaalii walks into frame, he looks out of an open window, offering a direct view of the Sydney Roosters club grounds he left last year for a deal with Rugby Australia worth $5.4 million. He turns back around, fixes his $2,000 shirt and faces the camera. Although being a teen sporting prodigy and achieving early career success on the field has increased the commercial value of Suaalii's name, there's more that separates his brand's capacity for profit from his teammates. Professor in sport management Adam Karg said what you look like, who you know, and how you behave are also significant in a brand choosing you to work with, especially one worth as much as Louis Vuitton's $51 billion brand. 'In order to be able to commercialise that brand, you do need, rightly or wrongly, a really strong set of eyeballs. Essentially, you need to be able to generate media interest,' Karg said. 'Now, that can come through physical appearance. It can come through, obviously, on the field, performance being a degree of that as well, and then really you need a brand to see something in you that connects with them and their audience.'
The Age
2 days ago
- Business
- The Age
The money and magic of Suaalii Inc
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii made the short walk to his parked matte black Land Rover Defender on Lansdowne Street in Sydney's trendy inner-city suburb of Surry Hills. He'd just spent the day at a photo shoot for GQ magazine, dressed in more than $35,000 worth of luxury fashion goods and was carrying three tangerine-coloured Louis Vuitton shopping bags full of clothes back to his car. In a video uploaded to his Instagram from that day, the 21-year-old flashed more than $140,000 worth of goods in just one minute and 49 seconds. Though he's paid millions to play rugby, he likely kept the clothes for free. He'd arrived at Debut Studios earlier that day wearing a $225 jumper – a bargain compared to the outfits he would change into. In one shot, Suaalii wears a $3,500 baby-blue mohair sweater paired with jeans worth $3,150 and sneakers that cost $845 for each shoe. On his wrist, a stainless-steel watch worth $35,000. In another, a rugby polo, only this one costs $2,620, described as taking a 'chic twist' on the sportswear. In an ironic detail from that day, Debut Studios sits in Suite 61 on the sixth floor of the building. As Suaalii walks into frame, he looks out of an open window, offering a direct view of the Sydney Roosters club grounds he left last year for a deal with Rugby Australia worth $5.4 million. He turns back around, fixes his $2,000 shirt and faces the camera. Although being a teen sporting prodigy and achieving early career success on the field has increased the commercial value of Suaalii's name, there's more that separates his brand's capacity for profit from his teammates. Professor in sport management Adam Karg said what you look like, who you know, and how you behave are also significant in a brand choosing you to work with, especially one worth as much as Louis Vuitton's $51 billion brand. 'In order to be able to commercialise that brand, you do need, rightly or wrongly, a really strong set of eyeballs. Essentially, you need to be able to generate media interest,' Karg said. 'Now, that can come through physical appearance. It can come through, obviously, on the field, performance being a degree of that as well, and then really you need a brand to see something in you that connects with them and their audience.'
Herald Sun
6 days ago
- Sport
- Herald Sun
Wallabies: Joseph Suaalii opens up on Origin lessons ahead of Lions debut
Don't miss out on the headlines from Rugby. Followed categories will be added to My News. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii's forgettable State of Origin experience last year is a valuable lesson he will learn from when he represents the Wallabies in Saturday night's series-opening battle against the British and Irish Lions in Brisbane. The former Sydney Roosters star's only Origin appearance before his defection to rugby union ended after just seven minutes when he was sent off for a high tackle on Queensland fullback Reece Walsh at Accor Stadium. In a match this weekend set to be played in a similarly intense atmosphere at Suncorp Stadium, Suaalii has promised not to make the same mistake twice despite the likelihood that he will be squaring up against Lions centre Sione Tuipulotu. The pair were involved in a heated battle in November last year during a Test between Australia and Scotland. It again ended badly for Suaalii, who suffered a wrist injury when hitting Tuipulotu with a crunching tackle during the Wallabies' 27-13 loss. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii's only State of Origin appearance was an experience to forget. Picture: NRL Photos 'I'm not going to speak on it, to be fair,' Suaalii said on Monday. 'Whatever's said on the field stays on the field. 'I'm ready to go. I'm ready to play. I always focus on myself first before I put my energy into someone else.' Particularly after his Origin debacle. 'The biggest thing I learned was … the way I was leading into that (Origin) week,' 21-year-old Suaalii said. 'It taught me a lot about myself. Leading into these big games is just about being neutral, not being too high or too low, not playing the game before playing it. 'I think that was my biggest lesson from that game. These games (against the Lions) are going to be big, but we're just focused on (Monday's) training session leading into the game on Saturday. 'I'm just trying to do the best for the team.' Suaalii has proven popular with fans since switching to rugby union. Picture:Suaalii said the chance to play against the Lions was a key factor in his decision to make the switch from rugby league to rugby union. 'I miss playing for the Sydney Roosters and playing for the Blues … but at the same time I'm loving where I am right now,' he said. 'I love playing for the Waratahs and for the Wallabies and hopefully the opportunity to play against the Lions. 'I understand what I need to do be at my best for Saturday.' Wallabies lock Will Skelton said Suaalii was a 'great asset' for Australia to have. 'The way he prepares for matches, the way he holds himself … I'm still learning as one of the oldest in the squad how to prepare for a game,' Skelton said. 'You take little bits from each player, and I've definitely taken stuff from Joe. 'He's himself, he's not being anyone else … that's all as a player you want to be' Originally published as Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii better prepared for intense atmosphere of clash with British and Irish Lions
