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As Joe Roff backed Rugby Australia’s national agenda and recruitment drive, including the push to bring Joseph Suaalii across ahead of the Olympics, the World Cup-winner believes the “dam’s about to burst” for the Wallabies following Eddie Jones’ return.
While the 19-year-old’s NRL club, the Sydney Roosters, have played down the possibilities of Suaalii being granted an early release, rumours continue to swirl they will release him early to join Rugby Australia to ease their financial issues.
Roff, one of the Wallabies’ most decorated outside backs, believes RA and the current playing group should welcome him with open arms, saying he can help Australia’s sevens team win a gold medal at next year’s Paris Olympics.
“Wouldn’t we all love to see Joseph Suaalii play in the Olympics next year, that’s a global stage,” Roff told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.
‘It’s almost a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, our Sevens team — both men’s and women’s — are doing incredible things on the world circuit at the moment.
“If you inject a bit of that star power, and that athleticism into a Sevens team at an Olympics level, do you know what, in sport there are few things that are higher than reaching for a gold medal and pursuing it.
“If that opportunity presents itself, certainly if I had that opportunity as a player I wouldn’t have to think twice about something like that.”
Joe Roff says Joseph Suaalii would bring some athleticism and star power to Australia’s Olympics quest. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Ever since being announced as Wallabies coach earlier this year, Jones has spoken bullishly of repatriating some former union players from the NRL.
It ruffled feathers on both sides of the rugby debate, with some rugby types imploring the governing body to solely focus on its grassroots while others believed stars are needed in the game for the next generation to look up to.
Suaalii’s bombshell three-year deal worth a monster $1.6 million sent the NRL into overdrive, with chair Peter V’landys stepping up his desire to slow rugby’s raid.
But Roff said he had enjoyed the Code Wars debate and added he had no issues with Rugby Australia luring across more players.
“Next year, if there were NRL players, or anyone, next year there’s an Olympics, and then to play against the British & Irish Lions series (in 2025), and then two years later to play in the third largest sporting event in the calendar in the world, at home, they’re global opportunities that not even rugby players get to experience sometimes in their career,” Roff said.
“From a quality of your professional sporting life, these are opportunities that I’d really be surprised to see people pass over.”
Joe Roff celebrates with the crowd during the Wallabies’ Rugby World Cup Semi-Final victory over the All Blacks on November 15, 2003 in Sydney. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
The new Rugby Australia president knows what it’s like to have rugby league stars cross codes.
In 2003, the 1999 World Cup-winner came off the bench in the home World Cup final in Sydney after Jones opted for the Queensland rugby league trio Mat Rogers, Wendell Sailor and Lote Tuqiri to start int he back three.
But unlike many of Jones’ detractors, Roff said he had no issue with the competitiveness the NRL trio brought to the squad and said they added to the Wallabies.
“You strive to be a Wallaby because you want to pit yourself against the best,” Roff said. “If you don’t consider yourself the best, you don’t deserve the wear the jersey.
“Everyone who puts on the gold thread wants to pit themselves against the best both in opposition, and in terms of your own position within the landscape of Australia. The more competition for spots there is in Australia, the better. And we always enjoyed that competitiveness of fighting for your spot against players.”
As Jones settled on his coaching team for the World Cup, the veteran coach is bit by bit getting his troops back on the field.
Rebels lock Matt Philip is expected back in the next fortnight while Rob Leota will return shortly after. Force lock Izack Rodda is a chance to return before the finals, too.
While front-row duo Angus Bell and Taniela Tupou are pressing to be back in time for the Rugby Championship, his Japanese stars, including Samu Kerevi, are returning too.
New Rugby Australia president Joe Roff with Wallabies Taniela Tupou, Dave Porecki and Angus Bell in Sydney. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Roff said Jones was the “best in the business” and believed he would bring back the missing “edge” in Australian rugby.
“The psychology and the one per cent wins is something that in my early days playing for the Wallabies we didn’t quite have but we learnt that and we built that as a team,” Roff said on Wednesday when CommBank Stadium was announced as the venue for the Wallabies’ first home Test of the year on July 15 against Argentina.
“Eddie will bring that edge, that psychological edge to the game.
“We know that playing against the Pumas, he’s coaching against his old friend Michael Cheika and let’s hope the acoustics in the respective coaches’ boxes are strong because there will be plenty of noise and rivalry between those two old friends and foes.
“And this is what Eddie is great at. He’s never backward in putting a strong and confident step forward and players will feel that and it will rub off on them.
“There’s no question about the talent that is in this team and it’s about building the combinations and the winning momentum and so these Test matches early on are going to be an exciting opportunity to get that momentum started.”
Joe Roff believes returning Wallabies head coach Eddie Jones will bring a new sense of “edge” to the national team. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Having watched a number of false dawns since he hung up the boots, Roff believes the Wallabies are on the cusp of finally breaking through.
“I had the great honour of being in the change room when we held the Bledisloe Cup and when we held the Rugby World Cup and I feel like it’s a dam that’s about to burst,” Roff said.
“Not only with the fact that we have the Rugby World Cup and we’ve always performed well in the northern hemisphere.
“We have the Lions coming (in 2025) and we have a home World Cup in a few years (2027).
“There’s a strong recruitment drive, there’s a strong national agenda and approach to what we’re doing.
“So it’s an exciting time to be a part of it.”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.