Australia centre Len Ikitau has described his Wallabies midfield partner Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii as “a freak” following an unforgettable display against England.
Suaalii’s first professional game of rugby union saw him deliver a player-of-the-match performance as Australia triumphed 42-37.
World-class contributions in all areas defied the 21-year-old former rugby league star’s lack of experience as a union player.
And he could easily wreak similar havoc when Australia tackle out-of-sorts Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.
“He is a freak, man,” Ikitau said, during a Wallabies press conference in the Welsh capital.
“Just being able to play next to him and see what he can do on the field is awesome. And we are just expecting more from him now he has had his first game.
“We saw all of that at training. He came in, he did what he needed to learn and just showcased his skills on the field.
“I thought it was awesome to see him defending the 13 channel. He just wanted to be involved and wanted to get the ball.”
Suaalii’s breathtaking Wallabies debut was probably the last thing Wales needed to see, especially as they now go into the autumn series clash one defeat away from a record 11th successive Test match loss.
A 24-19 reversal against Fiji came just a day after after Australia saw off England in a classic Twickenham encounter, and the Wallabies will be confident of collecting a 10th win from their last 12 Cardiff visits.
Suaalii is set to be at the heart of that, and even if they have not faced him in person yet, Wales certainly know all about him.
“Seriously impressive,” was how Wales fly-half Gareth Anscombe described Suaalii’s masterclass.
“He made the game look pretty easy, didn’t he?” Anscombe said. “But look, it is going to be a great challenge and I am sure he will probably start in the midfield.
“I thought he had a sensational debut. He was dangerous, good in the air and quite a rangy player.”