Fiji coach Byrne will reconnect with rugby’s youngest new star Sua’ali’i in Wallabies test

NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) — Rugby’s newest star, 21-year-old Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i, is well-known to Fiji coach Mick Byrne.

Byrne will get to know him even better on Sunday when his Pacific island side plays against Sua’ali’i and Australia at Newcastle north of Sydney in the season-opening tests for both teams.

The Fiji coach said he recalled meeting Sua’al’i when Byrne was an assistant to then-Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, with the youngster making an immediate impression on the pair.

“I remember when ‘Cheik’ and I first met him when I was at the Wallabies and a young schoolboy came in, before he signed with rugby league, and we knew then that he was a tremendous athlete,” Byrne said of the National Rugby League recruit who will line up for his fourth test Sunday and first in Australia.

“I think he offers a dimension to the game that not many athletes can,” Byrne said. “Like a lot of international players we come up against, we’ve got to keep our eye on him, but I think as a player he just offers another sort of dimension, being that aerial skill-set that we’ll have to be aware of as well.”

The last time the teams met in 2023, the Fijians, under former coach Simon Raiwalui, stunned the Australians by defeating the then Eddie Jones-coached Australian side 22-15 in a Rugby World Cup upset.

The group stage victory over the Wallabies almost two years ago was the Fijians first in 69 years. And the loss helped ensure Australia didn’t make it past the preliminary stage for the first time at the World Cup.

Byrne has been able to include 13 players Sunday who were part of that historic match in France, including the entire forward pack except flanker Elia Canakaivata.

“It’s exciting times for us,” Byrne said. “All our players . . . have gelled well together as a team. It’s an exciting opportunity for us to get in against Australia in Australia, especially in a Lions year when there’s a lot of excitement around.”

It’s the first of two matches on consecutive weekends for Fiji. Next Saturday, the side faces Scotland in Suva.

Loose forward Harry Wilson will captain the Wallabies while Tate McDermott and Noah Lolesio will form the halfback pairing for the match. The starting roles by the trio could indicate they are favored by head coach Joe Schmidt for those positions for the first of three test matches against the British and Irish Lions in Brisbane on July 19.

The 21-year-old Sua’ali’i will line up at outside center after spending the Super Rugby season at fullback with the New South Wales Waratahs.

Schmidt opted for experience in the Australian front row, with former captain David Porecki called back into the team, 643 days since he last played for the Wallabies. The 32-year-old Porecki played at the 2023 World Cup but didn’t play in 2024 due to Achilles and calf injuries.

“The whole squad has worked hard on and off the field and reconnected well with a short runway from our assembly through to the test on Sunday,” Schmidt said. “I think the players and the wider management are keen to get underway, especially in front of a big crowd here in Newcastle.”

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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby