Joseph-aukuso Suaalii Learns From Origin Pain Before Renewing Hostilities With Lions

Wallabies weapon Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has avoided throwing substance connected nan occurrence up of a imaginable spicy rematch pinch British and Irish Lions centre Sione Tuipulotu successful Saturday’s opening Test successful Brisbane

The prima convention enlistee and nan Melbourne-raised Scotland skipper had to beryllium separated successful a skirmish successful their first gathering astatine Murrayfield past November.

Suaalii laid a monolithic tackle connected his other number but past stayed down aft injuring his arm. Tuipulotu past sledged nan rookie Wallaby, who jumped backmost to his feet and fired back, informing “I will spot you adjacent time” earlier departing nan section for curen connected his wrist.

Since past 28-year-old Tuipulotu was cautioned by Wallabies expert Eoin Toolan, who he knows from his Melbourne Rebels days, to extremity talking astir nan incident arsenic Suaalii was “raring to go”.

With Tuipulotu favoured to commencement against nan Wallabies, Suaalii downplayed hostilities betwixt nan pair.

“I consciousness for illustration there’s been a batch of talk astir that infinitesimal but astatine nan extremity of nan time it’s conscionable a crippled of footy,” nan 21-year-old said connected Monday successful Brisbane. “I’m a large believer that whatever’s said connected nan section stays connected nan field.

“I’m conscionable focused connected what I tin do for nan team, that’s it. I’m not going to speak connected it, to beryllium fair. I ever attraction connected myself first earlier I put my power into personification else, and evidently fans want to spot a rivalry and each that but astatine nan extremity of nan day, it’s a squad athletics and I’m conscionable trying to do nan champion for nan team.”

Wallabies prima Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii hurts his limb successful a collision pinch Scotland's centre Sione Tuipulotu. Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images

While Suaalii was reticent to bait his rival, his Wallabies teammate Will Skelton happily chimed successful that he could spot immoderate fireworks happening astatine Suncorp Stadium.

“Yeah, that’s what you want, no?” nan elephantine fastener said. “You want our 12s going against their 12s, you want our 13s going against their 13s – I deliberation nary matter what, it’s going to beryllium a beingness conflict and we’re up for nan challenge.”

Suaalii rated his engagement successful nan Lions bid supra his sole State of Origin experience, and said it was nan awesome inducement for his codification switch.

But Suaalii tin transportation lessons he learned successful State of Origin into nan Lions series, aft he was sent disconnected conscionable 8 minutes into his NSW Blues debut for a precocious deed connected Reece Walsh.

“The biggest point I learned was my off-field, nan measurement I was starring into that week,” Suaalii said. “It taught maine a batch astir myself. Leading into these large games is conscionable astir being neutral. Not being excessively precocious aliases excessively low. Not playing nan crippled earlier playing it.

“I deliberation that was my biggest instruction from that game. Obviously these games are going to beryllium big. But we’re conscionable focused connected today’s training convention starring into nan crippled connected Saturday. Just really keeping it neutral.”

Suaalii’s standout representation of nan 2013 Lions series, which Australia lost, was nan melodramatic Test debut of different code-hopper Israel Folau, who scored 2 tries successful nan opening match.

“He did termination it successful that 2013 bid and that was a large logic it was a dream of excavation to play nan Lions, because I retrieve watching him, Kurtley Beale, each these different players do their point successful nan crippled and it sparked thing for myself,” he said.