Rugby-Wallabies look to get Suaalii more involved in second Lions test
MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Joseph Suaalii's Australia centre partner Len Ikitau is hoping to get the rugby league convert involved in the game earlier and more often in the second test against the British & Irish Lions on Saturday.
Suaalii made an explosive entry into test rugby against England last November but was a bit part player as the Wallabies were dominated by the Lions for the first hour of the 27-19 loss in Brisbane last week.
Inside centre Ikitau took the crash ball option more often than not in the face of a fierce Lions rush defence with the result that Suaalii received very little clean possession to exploit.
"We've only played a handful of games together but it's just trying to understand in what places he'd like to get the ball and kind of just feeding off each other," Ikitau told reporters on Tuesday.
"I felt like I didn't really get him into the game as early as I wanted, but that's a lot of learnings that I can take moving forward."
Suaalii was not the only Australian back who struggled to get his hands on the ball in the first half of the series opener with talented right winger Max Jorgensen restricted to a couple of touches before he scored a try off a box kick.
"We knew there were opportunities with their line speed and how they wanted to attack us in defence, but I think just being able to pull the trigger when the opportunity comes and backing our ability to pull the trigger," Ikitau said.
"A few times I think we were just conservative and held the ball where there's opportunities out wide."
Some in Australia have urged coach Joe Schmidt to rejig his backline and give Suaalii a run in the outside backs on Saturday.
"To be honest, if he's on the field that's the best thing for us, just somewhere on the field," said Ikitau.
"If he's playing 13, if he's on the wing, fullback, I know that he's just a freak of an athlete and he can step up to the occasion and just play his footy.
"He always (says) at the end of the day, it's a footy game and he's a footballer so I don't think it would faze him."
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Express
2 hours ago
- Daily Express
US break mixed 4x100m freestyle world record
Published on: Sunday, August 03, 2025 Published on: Sun, Aug 03, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: US swimmers Kate Douglass, Jack Alexy and Patrick Sammon jubilant after the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay in Singapore. SINGAPORE: The United States set a new world record in sealing a dominant victory in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay at the world championships on Saturday. The US team took gold in Singapore in 3min 18.48sec, beating Australia's previous leading time of 3:18.83 set in 2023. The 'neutral athletes' team from Russia finished second in 3:19.68, with France third in 3:21.35. The American team of Jack Alexy, Patrick Sammon, Kate Douglass and Torri Huske took control from the start and from then on their battle was against the clock. 'We all came out tonight wanting to get that win for Team USA and with the world record, we all knew in the back of our mind we had that ability,' said Douglass. 'I'm really happy with how it turned out.' The US topped the medal table at the start of the day and their latest success consolidated their lead heading into the final day of the championships. 'It's great to be racing with my team-mates,' said Alexy. 'The world record was in the back of our minds.' United States great Katie Ledecky beat Summer McIntosh in a titanic three-way battle to win a thrilling 800m freestyle world title. Ledecky won her seventh career gold in the event but she was challenged like never before, touching the wall in a championship-record 8min 05.62sec—a fingertip ahead of Australia's Lani Pallister (8:05.98) and McIntosh (8:07.29). It was Canadian sensation McIntosh's first defeat of the championships and ended her bid to match Michael Phelps as the only swimmer ever to win five individual golds at a single world championships. The 18-year-old has already won three golds this week in Singapore. Ledecky, 28, had too much staying power for her younger rival, with Pallister also in gold-medal contention until the final lunge for the line. 'They pushed me all the way,' said Ledecky, a four-time Olympic champion in the event. 'I'm just really happy I could put that together. I just kept telling myself to trust my legs.' The race was billed as a potential changing of the guard, with McIntosh in red-hot form. She had also threatened Ledecky's world record earlier this year. Pallister was determined to insert her name into the conversation as well, as the Australian kept pace with Ledecky and McIntosh in a fast start. The lead changed hands several times but Ledecky, swimming between her two rivals, looked best-placed to strike for home. In the end it was the American celebrating with her country's flag on the pool deck after an epic race. 'I think I just came into tonight trying to enjoy it as much as I can,' said Ledecky. 'I don't feel like I have much to lose at this point in my career. 'I just try to enjoy it every time I get to walk out in front of a crowd like this.' A fit and firing Gretchen Walsh completed a butterfly double, romping to victory in the 50m event. The American, who won the 100m butterfly earlier in the week, touched the wall in 24.83sec, beating Australia's Alexandria Perkins (25.31) and Belgium's Roos Vanotterdijk (25.43). Sweden's Sarah Sjoestroem, the world record holder and a six-time world champion in the event, is not competing in Singapore. Walsh took advantage of her absence and showed that she will be a force to reckon with in LA in three years' time. New father Cam McEvoy powered to the 50m freestyle world gold to go with his Olympic crown. The 31-year-old Australian—who is at his seventh world championships—reclaimed the title he won in 2023. McEvoy turned on the afterburners in the second half of the sprint to win in 21.14sec. Britain's Ben Proud took silver in 21.26, with Jack Alexy of the United States in bronze in 21.46. McEvoy's son Hartley was born only last month and the swimming ace gave a shoutout to his family after victory. the better of Regan Smith, touching the wall in a championships-record 2min 03.33sec to beat her American arch-rival into second place in 2:04.29. Australia's Kaylee McKeown underlined her backstroke dominance with a world championships double after winning the 200m Saturday. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Piastri confident he can win after 'bizarre' Hungarian qualifying
BUDAPEST, (Hungary): McLaren's Formula One leader Oscar Piastri was confident he could win from second place on the starting grid after a 'bizarre and somewhat frustrating' Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying yesterday. The Australian will line up alongside Ferrari's pole-sitter Charles Leclerc at the Hungaroring on Sunday with title rival and teammate Lando Norris in third place. "Pretty confident," Piastri, 16 points clear of Norris, said of his chances of taking a seventh win from 14 races. "It was good last year, so hopefully it can be good again this year." Piastri started second last year, with Norris on pole, and went on to take the first win of his F1 career. Sunday's race could see some rain, which could make things tricky on a twisty circuit where overtaking is already difficult and strategy can be crucial. McLaren were fastest in all three practice sessions but Leclerc made the most of the conditions to seize a surprise advantage. "If you're sat where Charles is, fantastic. If you're sat where I'm sat, bizarre and somewhat frustrating," he said when asked to sum up the session. "I think the conditions completely changed, and it was just weird. "I think our pace has been good, but Charles has been quick all weekend, in certain sessions," added the Australian. "It is a very difficult track to overtake on, and it's not going to be the easiest place to try and regain the lead." Norris, winner of four races so far this campaign, agreed with his teammate. "I think we always have, at least in the race, a bit more of an advantage. But our main competitor over the last four, five races has been Charles and it's been the Ferrari," said the Briton. "So, if there was anyone else that's going to be on pole today, it was going to be Charles. And if there's anyone that's going to make our life tough tomorrow, it's going to be the same guy." — REUTERS
New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Siraj strikes after Jaiswal helps India set England daunting target
LONDON: Yashasvi Jaiswal made a sparkling hundred and Washington Sundar a blistering fifty before Mohammed Siraj struck with the last ball of Saturday's play to bolster India's hopes of a series-levelling win in the fifth and deciding Test against England at the Oval. India were dismissed for 396 in their second innings on the third day as they set England a target of 374 to win with just over two days' play remaining. Siraj, ever-present in all five matches of a gruelling series, then yorked Zak Crawley for 14 with just two balls left in the day's play to spark joyous celebrations among the tourists. England were 50-1 at stumps, still requiring a further 324 runs to win, with Ben Duckett 34 not out. No side have made more to win in the fourth innings of a Test at the Oval than England's 263 in a one-wicket victory over Australia back in 1902. However, the most England have made to win any Test in the fourth innings was their 378 against India at Edgbaston in 2022, while they also chased down 371 at Headingley in the opening match of this series. Earlier, Jaiswal was out for 118, his second hundred of the series after the talented left-hander's ton at Headingley. The 23-year-old opener received superb support from Akash Deep in a third-wicket partnership of 107, the paceman belying his status as a nightwatchman with an accomplished 66 -- his maiden Test fifty. Ravindra Jadeja and Sundar, both fresh from hundreds in Manchester, each made 53, with Sundar launching a brutal assault after a depleted England took the new ball. A wayward home team, a bowler down after Chris Woakes suffered a shoulder injury diving in the field on Thursday, harmed their own cause by dropping six catches in the innings, with Jaiswal reprieved three times. India resumed Saturday on 75-2. Deep had made 21 when he edged Josh Tongue only for Crawley, diving across to his left from third slip, to floor the two-handed catch. Deep went to fifty when he pulled Gus Atkinson for his ninth four. But with India on the verge of batting through the morning session without losing a wicket, Deep got a leading edge to backward point off Jamie Overton. Shubman Gill, who has enjoyed a remarkable first series as India captain, fell to the very first ball after lunch when lbw to Gus Atkinson for 11. His exit left Gill just 20 runs adrift of Sunil Gavaskar's longstanding record for the most runs by an Indian cricketer in a Test series of 774, set against the West Indies in 1971. Gill compiled 754 runs at a superb average of 75, including four hundreds. Jaiswal's quick single off Atkinson saw the elated batsman to a 127-ball century, including 12 fours and two sixes. England dropped a sixth catch when, having set a trap to have Jaiswal taken at leg gully, the batsman duly obliged, only for Duckett to put him down off Overton. Jaiswal was eventually dismissed when he ramped Tongue straight to deep backward point before Jadeja completed his fifth fifty of the series in 71 balls. England took the new ball as soon as possible, with India 342-7 off 80 overs and promptly tried to bounce out Sundar in what proved to be an expensive ploy. The left-hander responded with three superb sixes, including hoisting Tongue, who finished with figures of 5-125, over fine leg and deep midwicket in the space of three balls.
