NRL recruits face narrowing path to Rugby World Cup

It would be ironic if rugby’s high-profile NRL recruits found the Wallabies a tough nut to crack under former North Sydney Bear Les Kiss, but that is how it looks a year out from the showpiece event.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is on the bench against Argentina this weekend and the frequency of the niggles he picks up is a greater concern than the debate over his best position (his versatility could actually be his trump card).

Zac Lomax, who was so impressive during Super Rugby Pacific, hasn’t played since May and his deal with the PNG Chiefs from 2028 onwards should count against him in a tight selection race, no matter what is said publicly.

But Angus Crichton, out injured, faces the biggest challenge of all – both against the clock and against an evolution under way in the 15-man mode that is elevating his nominated position – the No.12 jersey – into one of the most important on the field.

Crichton is a very good player, but if he cannot run, pass and kick to an elite standard at the line within six months of his cross-code conversion, he will not be in the Wallabies’ 23.

The resurgence of Hunter Paisami in the Wallabies No.12 jersey has been one of the early storylines of the Kiss era, but it has been a tale years in the making.

Paisami has grown as a player just as the value of the No. 12 has increased.

Ask yourself: Who was the best player in Super Rugby this year? The Chiefs No.12 Quinn Tupaea. And who was the All Blacks’ best player in their win against the Springboks in Johannesburg last weekend? No.12 Jordie Barrett.

These two are talented individuals but attacking trends in the game mean the No.12 role is moving back to a “second five-eighth” rather than an “inside centre”.

It was not long ago that behemoths were all the rage – the Wallabies had one themselves in Samu Kerevi, while the French used the 110kg Jonathan Danty.

Their brief was simple: get over the gain line. But as attacking plans have become more sophisticated the No.12 is the player asked to make split-second decisions at the line, complemented by the skill set to execute them.

A long and short kicking game is also a non-negotiable – the No. 12 is taking a lot of the playmaking burden off the No.10, who in turn must be a genuine running threat to take advantage of the time and space being created. The sit-in-the-pocket, kicking No.10 is a near-liability today.

So, it would be an extraordinary success for Crichton to quickly absorb these traits and show he is better than Paisami, Len Ikitau or Isaac Henry. It is not a position in the Wallabies that particularly cried out for an NRL recruit.

Lomax is in a similar boat. Kiss has welcomed the competition Lomax provides and has been emphatic that he will pick him if he is good enough, but Max Jorgensen has one wing spot nailed down and the race for the other is intense.

Harry Potter has rediscovered his form and Dylan Pietsch was the best Australian winger in Super Rugby, but the longer-term challenge for Lomax will come from Mark Nawaqanitawase.

The Roosters’ winger has the drop on Lomax because of his history in rugby and his pending shift to the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights – the Queensland Reds will play them twice later this year as well as two games in Italy – won’t harm his Wallabies chances.

Suaalii’s repurposing into a utility back who can cover No.13 and the back three will also put the squeeze on Lomax, whose move back to the NRL is a shame for rugby given the vast promise he showed for the Force.

Suaalii’s return to the Wallabies via the bench is a subtle demotion because there has been too few of the brilliant, rampaging efforts he produced against the Chiefs and Moana Pasifika last year.

His extraordinary athleticism, and lack of midfield alternatives, kept him front-and-centre at the Wallabies but the emergence of Paisami and now Henry has changed the picture.

Yet, the shift could be the first step in Suaalii becoming indispensable, if not always a starter. Having a player who can cover midfield and the outside backs is pure gold.

Of the big three NRL recruits, Suaalii has the best chance of doing something special at a home Rugby World Cup next year.

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