By Graham Thomas
Ben Thomas insists Wales “have a plan” to deal with Joseph Suaalii – but it had better be a good one.
Thomas, 25, has been a centre of attention for Wales this autumn, a player of rich natural talent and creativity who, after a handful of games in a red shirt, looks likely to be a big part of the national team’s future.
But that’s nothing compared to the impact that 21-year-old Suaalii made in his first 80 minutes in the gold of Australia, which just happened to be his first match of any consequence in rugby union.
Suaalii – previously seen ruling the roost with the Sydney Roosters – made the kind of explosive arrival on his Wallabies debut at Twickenham that even sober judges considered extraordinary.
It wasn’t that Suaalii repeatedly broke through the England midfield, or even proved too hot to handle. It was more to do with his individual touches – a casual flicked pass here, a nonchalant leap and catch at a re-start there – that underlined a special individual talent.
Exclusive: Wallabies selection twist as Schmidt set to bench Suaalii for crunch Wales Grand Slam Testhttps://t.co/VbfzsAbqY5
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Thomas just happens to be a keen student of Australian rugby league and was aware of Suaalii long before his well-publicised switch of codes.
“I think he probably showed just what a class of athlete he is,” says Thomas of Suaalii’s debut for the Wallabies in their 42-37 victory at England.
“I have watched a lot of him playing with the Roosters, so I knew a fair bit about him already.
“I think he probably gave us a glimpse of what we can expect on the weekend when we play against him, so it’s on us to limit his time and space.”
So, how do Wales – a team without a victory in 10 matches – set about limiting the influence of a player who will be riding a wave of confidence after his eye-catching first outing?
“I wouldn’t say we focus too much on containing any individual player,” says Cardiff man Thomas.
“I mean, pretty much every team at this level will have some star power in their backline.
“It’s probably more about containing them as a team, and limiting the time and space that we give them. Those players are going to have key moments, so it’s how much we can limit their opportunities.”
A year ago, Australia looked to be in a far deeper mess than Wales when the two teams met at the World Cup.
It was a rout, a record 40-6 thrashing and the undoubted high point of the Warren Gatland second coming.
In fact, since then, Wales have won just once – the very next game against Georgia – and although the Wallabies were not much better when they met again in the summer, it was the men in gold who twice came out on the winning side.
For Thomas, who has got used to being on the wrong side of tight matches for his club side, Cardiff, it is that transition from losers in close battles, to narrow winners, that Wales need to master – and quickly, before a losing sequence becomes a record run of failure.
“Last weekend against Fiji was one that we definitely let slip and it was a tough one to take, but I think the focus going to this week is a results one,” says Thomas.
“Performance is a nice one, but it’s definitely a result that we’re chasing.
“I’m not sure it’s a case of not having experience of winning, it’s more just being able to handle those high pressure moments and I don’t think that comes down to a win or a loss.
“It’s about staying in that moment and it’s something we probably didn’t manage to do against Fiji.
“We had two or three key moments in the last 20 of that game when we weren’t switched on or engaged and we left Fiji off the hook.
“So, it’s more of a processing thing for us and making sure that we’re in every moment and we take the most of those opportunities from the game.”
If Sunday’s game comes down to the final moments – and one-on-one contests between players from either side – then at least Thomas will be well prepared for those re-start claims by Suaalii that proved such a vital component against England.
“It’s a skill he’s brought in from rugby league. He’s pretty special in the air. It reminds me a bit of when they brought Israel Folau in from league. They always get athletes when they get league players, so we’ll be aware of it.”
So, is there a Wales plan for Suaalii on Sunday?
“There will be, yeah,” says Thomas. Bookmakers DragonBet make Australia clear 4/9 favourites, with Wales priced at 9/5 and the draw at 20/1. In the handicap, Wales have been given a 5.5 points start at 4/5.
