Springbok centre Damian de Allende spoke highly of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii's skill but said they have his number.
Springbok centre Damian de Allende said the team did well to manage Wallabies rising star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii at Ellis Park and will do so again in Cape Town, during their second Rugby Championship match on Saturday.
The Wallabies overturned a 22–0 deficit after 18 minutes to record a famous 38–22 victory, just their second ever in Johannesburg.
Suaalii made the switch from rugby league to union in 2023, signing with the NSW Waratahs. But after finishing his NRL contract, he played his first Test at the age of 21 in November last year before he even played one professional rugby union match.
The utility back won his 10th cap against the Springboks, starting at outside centre. Although he was kept in check for the most part, he remained threatening throughout and scored a brilliant try, intercepting a loose Manie Libbok pass and sprinting 60 metres to score under the posts.
Wallabies rising star
Suaalii told media he was grateful his family were in the stands to watch the try. He said he had made the switch from league so he could travel the world and represent his country. The experiences, such as visiting South Africa for the first time, also made his decision a no-brainer.
De Allende, selected to start at 12 at Cape Town Stadium, said he had enjoyed watching the youngster play league for Sydney Roosters before the switch.
“I think he is very agile and explosive,” De Allende said. “He gets up in the air very easily and very high. I think we handled that quite well last week.
“I’ve watched him a bit in rugby league. He was enjoyable to watch. And like he did on the weekend, he did very well to keep the ball alive, especially in contact.”
De Allende says Boks have a plan for Suaalii
De Allende said the Springboks needed to take Suaalii’s space away. But they needed to do so collectively, not individually, or he might make a dangerous offload.
“Because he does have, not big arms but long arms, and he can get the ball out quite easily. It has been cool to watch. It almost reminds me of watching Israel Folau.”
Folau also played for the Wallabies and Waratahs after switching from rugby league to Australian rules and then rugby union.
“He just brings that different dynamic to the Australian team. We handled him quite well last week. There were just one or two soft moments when he got the ball away. The intercept was pretty special.”
