'He's not going to like this': Stirling Mortlock's Joseph Suaalii advice

Rugby great Stirling Mortlock is urging Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt to adopt a “pick-and-stick” selection approach and consider throwing Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii on the wing for a short-term educational stint.

A legend of the glory days when Australia held the World Cup and Bledisloe Cup, Mortlock reckons it’s no coincidence the Wallabies dominated when Rod Macqueen and Eddie Jones used the same tried-and-trusted stars week after week.

The George Gregan-Stephen Larkham-Mortlock-Matt Giteau midfield axis played upwards of 40 Tests together, not to mention many more at the benchmark ACT Brumbies, building unmatched chemistry and cohesion at Test and Super Rugby level.

Mortlock has grown frustrated with the constant chopping and changing of Wallabies line-ups, insisting combinations and trust in a backline at international level takes months and sometimes years to build.

“Players can run the same lines, but nothing can replace chemistry and connection,” he told AAP.

Fixture

Rugby Championship

South Africa

23:10

16 Aug 25

Australia

All Stats and Data

Currently sixth, the Wallabies have slumped to as low as ninth in the world rankings over the past decade – and Mortlock believes endless team changes are partly to blame.

Schmidt’s side showed what they were capable of in last week’s stirring 22-12 victory over the British and Irish Lions, and Mortlock hopes the performance proves the benchmark for both the Wallabies’ mongrel style and consistency in selection.

“If Joe Schmidt thinks this is his best side, then, barring injury, I’d like to see him pick and stick,” said Australia’s 2007 World Cup captain.

“Teams need at least five to 10 Tests together, minimum, to start to gel.

“Nothing beats time in the saddle and playing games together.

“Training can help slightly, but playing together, going through some hard times together and learning as a group is invaluable and builds up trust and all the things you need at the DNA of a world-class team.

“So this whole notion of rotating players and subbing off players because they need a rest, I just don’t get it.

“I would always take a battle-hardened team that may be a little bruised and sore over a fresh team with less combinations.”

Hence why Mortlock was chuffed to see Schmidt keep the faith with his Wallabies throughout the Lions series.

“Because they’re a pretty green team, and also their combinations are pretty fresh too,” he said.

“So the worst thing you can do with new combinations and a young team, especially when they don’t play well, is to cut them and they don’t get a chance to grow and develop and learn.”

One of Australia’s all-time great No.13s, Mortlock believes one tweak Schmidt could potentially make is shifting Suaalii from outside centre to the wing.

Despite watching Suaalii since Year 10 at The King’s School, where his two sons also attended, carving up at 13 “like it was men against boys”, Mortlock believes Australia’s attacking trump could benefit from a positional switch.

“He’s not going to like this,” Mortlock said.

“But when I first came through, I ended up having two full seasons on the wing. I didn’t like it at all. I hated it.

“I was playing provincial rugby for the Brumbies at 13 but those two seasons on the wing gave me a great opportunity to understand what wingers need from a 13, from a voice and connection and combination-wise.

“Then, probably more importantly, 13 is your spiritual leader in defence, so there’s a lot of communication that is required and linking that you do in multi-phase and off set piece.

“So there’s a lot of decisions that you have to make and, when you’re on the wing, you learn very quickly what you need from that 13, and that helped my development as a 13 massively.

“So you don’t lose much if you put him on the wing and, in particular, what you do get is his aerial skills. He’s unbelievable with the high ball and cross kicks.

“So I’m not saying Joseph isn’t an outside centre but, if he ended up on the wing for a while, it’d also be great because he’s got all the attributes to be an amazing world-class 13 for the Wallabies long term, if he doesn’t already have them.”