{"id":629293,"date":"2026-10-13T12:12:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T12:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/629293\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T12:12:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T12:12:17","slug":"joseph-suaalii-welcomes-nawaqanitawases-wallabies-return-as-fiji-switch-possible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/629293\/","title":{"rendered":"Joseph Suaalii welcomes Nawaqanitawase&#8217;s Wallabies return as Fiji switch possible"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>  Published: 6 hours ago | 13 October 2026 01:48 EDT  <\/p>\n<p>mens<\/p>\n<p>international<\/p>\n<p>    Mark Nawaqanitawase of Australia looks on during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 match between Wales and Australia at Parc Olympique on September 24, 2023 in Lyon, France. (Photo by Craig Mercer\/MB Media\/Getty Images) <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"expand\" src=\"https:\/\/eu-cdn.rugbypass.com\/images\/common-svg\/select-arrow.svg\" height=\"6\" width=\"11\"\/>      <a href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rugbypass.com%2F\" onclick=\"GATracking.sendDataLayerEvent(&#039;preferredsourcegoogle&#039;);\" aria-label=\"Google Prefered Source\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/google_preferred_source_badge_light.png\" alt=\"Google Prefered Source\" width=\"141\" height=\"44\" class=\"google-source\"\/> <\/a>     <\/p>\n<p>Wallabies superstar Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii wants Mark Nawaqanitawase on the spring tour and is welcoming the selection threat his fellow code-hopper will pose on his return to rugby.<\/p>\n<p>Nawaqanitawase is the most talked about talent in either game after crowning his spectacular two-season stint in the NRL with a game-breaking two-try haul in the Sydney Roosters\u2019 19-18 grand final triumph over Newcastle.<\/p>\n<p>Unless he opts for a shock allegiance switch to either lesser lights <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rugbypass.com\/teams\/italy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Italy<\/a> or Fiji, who he is also eligible to play for through his grandmother and father respectively, the dual international shapes as a genuine rival to Suaalii for a Wallabies wing spot at next year\u2019s World Cup in Australia.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/spacer-new.png\" alt=\"Video Spacer\" width=\"100%\"\/>The KOKO Show on why the Wallabies can win the Bledisloe at Eden Park | RP<\/p>\n<p>In the latest episode of the KOKO Show, on RugbyPass TV, the guys look at what it\u2019ll take to beat the All Blacks in Auckland. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/rugbypass.tv\/home\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"video-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Watch now<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/spacer-new.png\" alt=\"Video Spacer\" width=\"100%\"\/>The KOKO Show on why the Wallabies can win the Bledisloe at Eden Park | RP<\/p>\n<p>In the latest episode of the KOKO Show, on RugbyPass TV, the guys look at what it\u2019ll take to beat the All Blacks in Auckland. <\/p>\n<p>First-year Wallabies coach Les Kiss shifted Suaalii from the centres for last week\u2019s Bledisloe Cup I loss to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rugbypass.com\/teams\/new-zealand\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">All Blacks<\/a> in Auckland.<\/p>\n<p>As well as Nawaqanitawase, Kiss will be trying to find room in the Wallabies backline next year for fellow Roosters premiership winner and one-time Australian schoolboys centre Angus Crichton, an ex-teammate of Suaalii.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than fear for his own spot, Suaalii says bring the challenge on and reckons having Nawaqanitawase and Crichton on deck can \u201c100 per cent\u201d only boost Australia\u2019s World Cup chances.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe more internal competition we have, the better our team\u2019s going to be,\u201d he said after Wallabies training in Sydney on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor Marky and Gussie to come across, and Gussie coming to the Waratahs, he\u2019ll be a great addition for us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen also Marky\u2019s skill set, you\u2019ve seen what he\u2019s done over in NRL. He was great. Not many people have done what he\u2019s done in the game for two years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWatching him from afar, he did things that not many people can do. For him to come and bring that over here, it will be great for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Suaalii is so eager to have Nawaqanitawase in the Wallabies\u2019 ranks that he hopes Kiss is able to convince the 26-year-old to change his mind and make the four-Test November tour of the UK.<\/p>\n<p>Nawaqanitawase officially finishes his contract with the Roosters on October 31 to join the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rugbypass.com\/teams\/saitama-wild-knights\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Saitama Wild Knights<\/a> and said last month that he was committed to taking a holiday with family and friends before linking with his Japanese club.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving that respect just to start up a new club and find my feet there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019ll be my first time living out of home, so I just get my head around cooking for myself, working out how things work around the house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kiss said last week he planned to speak with Nawaqanitawase and Suaalii welcomed the prospect of the freakish talent being available ASAP for the Wallabies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou want your best players here,\u201d Suaalii said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe brough Jordan (Petaia) over from Japan. He\u2019s been a great addition for us as a group. You want your best players training, playing. Yeah, we\u2019re one year to the World Cup now, so each game\u2019s very important. We know what it does each week.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut Les is the man who makes the call.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kiss\u2019s more immediate call will be whether or not to make any changes to his side walloped 50-19 in Auckland, leaving the Wallabies to surrender the Bledisloe Cup for a 23rd straight year ahead of Saturday\u2019s return bout in Sydney on Saturday night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Published: 6 hours ago | 13 October 2026 01:48 EDT mens international Mark Nawaqanitawase of Australia looks on&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":629294,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[111,139,69,213],"class_list":["post-629293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=629293"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629293\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/629294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=629293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=629293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=629293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}