Wallabies gun Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has avoided throwing fuel on the fire ahead of a possible spicy rematch with British and Irish Lions centre Sione Tuipulotu in Saturday’s opening Test in Brisbane
The star league recruit and the Melbourne-raised Scotland captain had to be separated in a skirmish in their first meeting at Murrayfield last November.
Suaalii laid a massive tackle on his opposite number but then stayed down after injuring his arm. Tuipulotu then sledged the rookie Wallaby, who jumped back to his feet and fired back, warning “I will see you next time” before departing the field for treatment on his wrist.
Since then 28-year-old Tuipulotu was cautioned by Wallabies analyst Eoin Toolan, who he knows from his Melbourne Rebels days, to stop talking about the incident as Suaalii was “raring to go”.
With Tuipulotu favoured to start against the Wallabies, Suaalii downplayed hostilities between the pair.
“I feel like there’s been a lot of talk around that moment but at the end of the day it’s just a game of footy,” the 21-year-old said on Monday in Brisbane. “I’m a big believer that whatever’s said on the field stays on the field.
“I’m just focused on what I can do for the team, that’s it. I’m not going to speak on it, to be fair. I always focus on myself first before I put my energy into someone else, and obviously fans want to see a rivalry and all that but at the end of the day, it’s a team sport and I’m just trying to do the best for the team.”
While Suaalii was reticent to bait his rival, his Wallabies teammate Will Skelton happily chimed in that he could see some fireworks happening at Suncorp Stadium.
“Yeah, that’s what you want, no?” the giant lock said. “You want our 12s going against their 12s, you want our 13s going against their 13s – I think no matter what, it’s going to be a physical battle and we’re up for the challenge.”
Suaalii rated his involvement in the Lions series above his sole State of Origin experience, and said it was the major incentive for his code switch.
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But Suaalii can carry lessons he learned in State of Origin into the Lions series, after he was sent off just eight minutes into his NSW Blues debut for a high hit on Reece Walsh.
“The biggest thing I learned was my off-field, the way I was leading into that week,” 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. Obviously these games are going to be big. But we’re just focused on today’s training session leading into the game on Saturday. Just really keeping it neutral.”
Suaalii’s standout memory of the 2013 Lions series, which Australia lost, was the dramatic Test debut of another code-hopper Israel Folau, who scored two tries in the opening match.
“He did kill it in that 2013 series and that was a big reason it was a dream of mine to play the Lions, because I remember watching him, Kurtley Beale, all these different players do their thing in the game and it sparked something for myself,” he said.
