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Sam Bruce, Deputy Editor, espn.com.au
Wallabies prop Angus Bell has declared star recruit Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has all the tools to be a world-class rugby player and also labelled suggestions that the code-hopper’s selection in Australia’s spring tour party was cheapening the famed gold jersey as “fluff”.
Bell and the rest of the Wallabies squad departed for their four-match Grand Slam tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland on Thursday, having Wednesday night attended the Rugby Australia Awards, where Rob Valetini claimed a second straight John Eales Medal.
Suaalii was in attendance for the event, despite having spent 2024 playing rugby league, the 21-year-old busily moving around the room as he met with sponsors and engaged with various people looking to grab a moment with Australian rugby’s alleged $1.6-million-a-season man.
Suaalii has for the two weeks he has been in the game done all that has been asked of him off the field, but it was his selection as part of Joe Schmidt’s 34-man squad that will face England, Wales, Scotland and then Ireland, from Saturday week, that made headlines along the east coast.
Not to be left out of the discussion, one Daily Telegraph journalist said Suaalli’s selection had “cheapened” the Wallabies jersey, torching everything since the man whose medal brought the curtain down on Wednesday’s event, John Eales, lifted the Webb Ellis Trophy in 1999.
But speaking to reporters before the Wallabies left for London, Bell defended his former schoolboy teammate’s inclusion in the touring party.
“No, not at all,” Bell said when asked about the “cheapening the jersey” comments. “I think all that stuff is just fluff of people trying to make headlines.
“Look, we don’t listen to that stuff and the proof’s in the pudding, as soon as he steps on the field you’ll see how ‘cheap’ the jersey is. He’s an insane athlete, you look at the way he moves, the way he touches footies, the way he can kick; he’s got every attribute to be a world-class rugby player, not just in Australia, but probably one of the better ones in the world, and he’s only 21.
“He’s super impressive and a super humble guy, and I’m just looking forward to him [proving] people wrong. He’s very driven and he wants success, which is something we’re trying to find. Joey is going to be a star, we all know that, but he’s transitioning so well and training really well too.”
Suaalii is not expected to earn a place in the Wallabies’ 23 to face England next weekend given he is still re-learning the code he played as a schoolboy, but a first crack at Test-match rugby could well follow a week later against Wales.
Given his high-profile switch, and the price tag attached to it, there had been suggestions that Suaalii’s presence could upset some of his new teammates.
But Bell rubbished that, saying he’d fitted in seamlessly.
“Everyone’s so accepting, any bloke who comes into the team and has the right mindset and the right attitude is welcomed,” Bell said.
“And Joey’s probably the best version of that; great attitude, he wants to train hard and work hard for the people around him, and we’re just excited to have him in and around the squad. And he’s fit in straight away already so far, he’s done everything right and I’m sure he’ll keep doing that.”
Meanwhile, Bell is looking forward to having towering lock Will Skelton back on the right-hand side of the Wallabies scrum.
The Wallabies’ 2023 World Cup captain will link up with the squad in London next week – fellow overseas-based player Samu Kerevi trained with Australia in Sydney this week – as he looks to make a big enough impression on Schmidt for the Kiwi to consider him for next year’s British & Irish Lions series.
“Will’s a very good player, obviously his set-piece is world class and that’s his point-of-difference – you can see that when he plays over in France, too,” Bell said. “It’s an exciting time to potentially have him and Nela [Taniela Tupou] together, which is almost over 300kgs on the right side of your scrum, [that’s] a nice thing to have and tap into.
“As a bloke who’s on the left, it’s obviously exciting because the scrum is helped immensely by those inclusions. But whoever’s in that position will be looking to do a job, whoever Joe decides to pick will do that job for us.”
While Schmidt and other players have been reluctant to set a target number of wins for the tour, Bell said the Wallabies were going north to win all four Tests and create their own piece of history.
“It’s extremely exciting, obviously we haven’t had one [Grand Slam tour] for a while, and it’s a great test before next year with the Lions tour,” he said. “So we’re really excited to test ourselves against the best teams in the world, we’re looking to come away with four wins.
“We’ve got a few fellas back from different things, so we’re excited for that and look we’re just going to go over there and put our best foot forward and keep building as a team.”