Wallabies legend Stirling Mortlock has called on Joe Schmidt to consider playing Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii in a different position. The recently turned 22-year-old is eight caps into his fledgling Test rugby career following his switch to union from league.<\/p>\n
All eight of those appearances \u2013 seven as a starter \u2013 have been at outside centre and the 80-cap Mortlock, a veteran of the Wallabies\u2019 run to the final of the Rugby World Cup 2003, now believes a temporary change is needed if Suaalii is to realise his full potential as an international midfielder.<\/p>\n
The 48-year-old has tracked Suaalii ever since he was a year 10 student at The King\u2019s School and ahead of next weekend\u2019s start to the 2025 Rugby Championship<\/a>, Mortlock has suggested that a stint on the wing in Schmidt\u2019s team would greatly benefit the Test rookie who returned to union last year after playing NRL for the Roosters.<\/p>\n In an interview published on rugby.com.au ahead of the Wallabies<\/a>\u2018 clash with the Springboks<\/a> next Saturday in Johannesburg, Mortlock admitted his idea wouldn\u2019t be liked by Suaalii, who went to the same school as his two sons.<\/p>\n \u201cI hated it\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not going to like this but when I first came through, I ended up having two full seasons on the wing. I didn\u2019t like it at all. I hated it.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThen, probably more importantly, 13 is your spiritual leader in defence, so there is a lot of communication that is required and linking that you do in multi-phase and off set-piece.<\/p>\n \u201cSo there are a lot of decisions that you have to make and, when you are on the wing, you learn very quickly what you need from that 13 and that helped my development as a 13 massively.<\/p>\n Ex-Ireland star insists Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii \u2018isn\u2019t a Sonny Bill Williams clone\u2019 but calls out the \u2018living dangerously\u2019 Wallabies\u2019 for their Lions loss<\/a><\/p>\n Wallabies predicted team: \u2018Golden opportunity\u2019 for playmaker as Joe Schmidt to go with 6-2 split against Springboks<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cSo you don\u2019t lose much if you put him on the wing and, in particular, what you do get is his aerial skills. He is unbelievable with the high ball and cross kicks.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I\u2019m not saying Joseph isn\u2019t an outside centre but, if he ended up on the wing for a while, it would also be great because he has got all the attributes to be an amazing world-class 13 for the Wallabies long term, if he doesn\u2019t already have them.\u201d<\/p>\n The Wallabies hit back last weekend to beat the British and Irish Lions in their series finale in Sydney and leave the score 1-2.<\/p>\n However, while Mortlock, who skippered Australia at the Rugby World Cup 2007, has urged Schmidt to consider switching Suaalii to the wing, he also insisted that the head coach avoid chopping and changing his XV and have some selection consistency instead.<\/p>\n