Wallabies panned over 'rubbish' call on former NRL star Joseph Suaalii for UK tour

Veteran league commentator Andrew Voss has criticised the move to select former NRL star Joseph Suaalii for the Wallabies' UK tour. Australian coach Joe Schmidt named Suaalii as part of the Wallabies 34-man squad on Tuesday and revealed the NRL convert wasn't just coming along for the run and would likely be given an international debut.

Schmidt said he was impressed by what Suaalii showed in his two training sessions with the squad in Canberra last week and it convinced him to pick him despite Suaalii never playing a game of rugby union as an adult. “One of the things that gave us real confidence in the hub was how rugby-reactional he was around the collision area, very, very good, very quickly, in what we were looking for, even though we weren’t doing full contact," Schmidt said.

“In his application, he is very intentional about how he learns and what he delivers. So those things gave us a bit of confidence to where we’ve ended up now with him being selected in the Wallabies squad.”

But Voss doesn't understand how someone who has never even played Super Rugby can get selected after just a couple of training sessions. "You can't have two training sessions and then get picked for Australia. He's got to play a game beforehand and it can't be a Test," Voss said on SEN. "That's absolute rubbish." And much of the rugby world agreed, stunned that he can come into the side over the likes of Marika Koroibete.

Joseph Suaalii set for Wallabies Test debut

While Schmidt has not yet decided which position Suaalii will play, he says he is considering him as a fullback, wing or centre. And the Wallabies coach reiterated that Suaalii isn't just coming to the UK to gain experience and expects him to play. It's likely if Suaalii is to get a go it would come against Wales in Cardiff.

"What we’ve tended to do is probably not play them in the first test, to have a week with them first, and then build them in like we did with Marika (Koroibete) when he was in there, and Brandon, Paeng-Amosa, those sort of guys who come in later," Schmidt said.

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"But I guess we get a bit of time here, we get maybe three trainings here (in Sydney) and then a couple of trainings over there, and we’ve got a few guys still recovering from the Rugby Championship, so it will depend on that mix.

“We don’t put guys in the squad to have them learn, certainly not for a full tour. Maybe for a week or two, but we’d hope that there’d be some integration into some game time.”

Suaalii was one of 34 players chosen for the main Wallabies squad for the Grand Slam spring tour against England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, and a major thought is that he will be a key part of their attacking plans against the British & Irish Lions next year. Five-eighth Tane Edmed is also a chance to make his Wallabies after being picked ahead of Tom Lynagh, while uncapped winger Harry Potter is also in the squad.

Wallabies squad for Spring Tour:

Forwards: Allan Alaalatoa, Angus Bell, Matt Faessler, Nick Frost, Langi Gleeson, Isaac Kailea, Fraser McReight, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Billy Pollard, Tom Robertson, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Will Skelton, James Slipper, Carlo Tizzano, Taniela Tupou, Seru Uru, Rob Valetini, Jeremy Williams, Harry Wilson.

Backs: Ben Donaldson, Tane Edmed, Jake Gordon, Len Ikitau, Max Jorgensen, Andrew Kellaway, Samu Kerevi, Noah Lolesio, Tate McDermott, Hunter Paisami, Dylan Pietsch, Harry Potter, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Nic White, Tom Wright.

with AAP