- Australia overcame shock sin-binning to thrash Wales
- Suaalii was only on the field for 17 minutes during win
Wallabies fans have blasted a controversial call during Australia’s mauling of Wales on Monday morning (AEDT) – but while the development has left one of the team’s stars shattered, it’s great news for fans of ex-NRL star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.
Australia have contributed to Wales’ worst losing streak in its 143-year rugby history following a 52-20 victory at Principality Stadium in Cardiff. that was made all the sweeter by the fact they overcame the shock sin-binning of Samu Kerevi.
Queensland hooker Matt Faessler had the day of his rugby life as he powered over for a hat-trick of tries, while fullback Tom Wright also flew in for a consummate treble that won him the player-of-the-match award.
Lock Nick Frost and centre Len Ikitau also got on the eight-try to two romp, while Noah Lolesio kicked six conversions on one of Welsh rugby’s darkest days.
However, powerhouse centre Kerevi is facing a suspension after receiving a yellow card that was later upgraded to a 20-minute red card for illegal head contact on Jac Morgan.
Wallabies fans took to social media to criticise the call, which left the Aussies with 14 men for a large spell.
Samu Kerevi (pictured right) found himself in strife after being red carded for a high shot that took him off the field for 20 minutes
Kerevi is likely to be banned, which means Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii (pictured) will be back in the starting team for the Wallabies’ next match
‘That’s a disgrace, games gone soft and by those rules then why is a shoulder to the head not a yellow for Wales! Still getting their ar*e whupped against 14 though,’ posted one X user.
‘And yet not a single yellow for a Welsh man,’ replied another.
A third commented: ‘No mitigation? Apart from the fact that both players were crouched and if the ball carrier was standing straight it’s a shot into the lower chest. Making it up as they go along.’
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt commented on the controversial call after the match.
‘He is distraught. 50th game for the Wallabies and he gets a red card. He was trying to drop into the tackle, I thought,’ Schmidt said.
‘We will look at that closely, and potentially ask some questions through the right channels.’
Should Kerevi be suspended, Suaalii will almost certainly be back in the starting team for the game against Scotland.
Speaking earlier in the week, Schmidt explained why Suaalii had been benched for the Wales match despite his impressive display in the win over England that kick-started their campaign in the northern hemisphere.
‘It was a whirlwind for Joseph the last two weeks,’ said Schmidt.
‘Anyone who plays all consecutive Tests against the sort of countries that we’re up against here, I do think that’s a big challenge, and particularly playing the full 80 minutes.
‘So for him to just be able to take a breath and watch a bit of the game and then enter the game, I think he’s a great opportunity for us to change it up a bit, if required.’
You can catch all the action from rugby’s Autumn Nations Series live and exclusive on Stan Sport
The Wallabies are halfway halfway towards the coveted ‘grand slam’ on their British Isles tour – but things might be more difficult against Scotland and Ireland.
‘I have no doubt we need to go up another gear against Scotland,’ Schmidt told Stan Sport.
‘We feel like we’re slowly building our game. We’re not there yet. But we’ll aim to be competitive.’
