‘We want to die on our feet’: Suaalii hails captain’s call that sealed victory

For six agonising minutes, with five of them with the clock in the red, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii had the perfect view of his captain Harry Wilson’s calmness under pressure as the Wallabies chased victory against Argentina in the heat and humidity of Townsville.

On three occasions, Wilson had the opportunity to call for the kicking tee for a penalty to draw the game, but on each occasion he backed his team to do better, ultimately leading to Angus Bell’s winning try after 85 minutes. Wilson’s brave calls came as no surprise to Suaalii, who scored two tries in an impressive performance.

“I think it’s just the belief from our group, it starts with (coach) Joe (Schmidt),” Suaalii said.

“From the start of my time with Joe, it’s all about belief and trust within the group and we want to die on our feet, we don’t want to go on our knees.

“Everything’s about us getting better each game and for us to go to the corner instead of going for the three, it just shows how much belief we have in our group.”

Wilson returned for the Wallabies after missing out on playing South Africa in Cape Town, after injuring his knee in the previous Test in Johannesburg. Suaalii believes that Wilson’s ability to lead the team was missed in the loss in Cape Town and helped to prove the difference in Townsville against a dangerous Argentina.

“We missed him (Wilson) in the last game in Cape Town and for him to be back, he’s such a leader within our group and we all look to him to make the calls when the pressure is on the line,” Suaalii said.

“And he made the right call, he backed his boys and that’s what he does. He puts belief in his teammates and for myself, he’s someone that I look to and I want to play for him. He has a special ability to not say too much but lead by his actions and today was a special case of his leadership.”

Since his spectacular Wallabies debut against England last November, Suaalii has not only grown confidence on the field, he has made lasting friendships off it. Suaalii was particularly pleased that the winning-try scorer was Bell, one of his closest friends in the Wallabies.

“I think with ‘Belly’, his love for the game and his love for Australian rugby. I think the last couple of weeks he’s been one of our best players,” Suaalii said.

“He comes off the bench and he just changed the game for us. He’s been part of the team since he was 18 as well, I think and he’s really matured as a human.

“You can see that off the field, on the field, if there’s someone I wanted to score a try, it would be him because he loves Australian rugby that much.

“It means the world to him, so for him to get the try, it means a lot for him and his family and all the hard work he’s put in. But it’s only the start for him, he’s still young.”

Suaalii is gathering a unique set of memories from his brief time with the Wallabies so far. A debut win against England in Twickenham, facing the British and Irish Lions, ending the 62-year Ellis Park curse by beating South Africa and now defeating Argentina to complete an unlikely comeback in Townsville. They are all memories he is cherishing, but he hopes to add far more.

“As a kid, you dream about these days and I’ve honestly just loved my whole experience with rugby, playing in South Africa for the first time, then Twickenham and then against the Lions and then playing against Argentina and winning here,” Suaalii said.

“There’s special moments in your life that you look back one day and can be like, it’s pretty cool that I’ve been a part of the group that’s done this, but we’re still growing as a group.”

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