Wallabies’ ‘Viral’ Concern After Taking Down Teammate Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, the ‘Ferrari’

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is in peak condition and ready to take on “the most significant games of my life” against the British and Irish Lions, revealing that he shed 5kg following a jaw injury last month.

The 21-year-old sensation confessed that his mind raced a bit while being stretchered from Allianz Stadium after accidentally receiving a knee from Waratahs teammate Andrew Kellaway—a brutal mix-up in what is typically deemed friendly fire.

For Rugby Australia, Suaalii’s absence from a tour that occurs only once every 12 years would have been a disastrous blow. However, he has declared himself “97 per cent fit” as the Wallabies gear up for their first Test of the year against Fiji in Newcastle on July 6.

Suaalii aims to feature in that game before the highly anticipated first Lions Test in Brisbane on July 19.

“I’ll be back to full fitness,” he told journalists after encountering actual lions at Taronga Zoo in Sydney on Wednesday.

“I’ve dealt with a toe injury, then my jaw, and a concussion as well. But this is all part of my development as a person and a rugby player. It’s just part of the game…”

“I lost around 5kg, but I’ve managed to put it all back on now. I’ve been eating plenty thanks to my mum and the support of my family. My face was quite swollen for a while, and I was wearing a face mask everywhere, but it’s improving. I do still have a touch of baby fat left.”

Having sustained at least three concussions during his time in the NRL, Suaalii mentioned that he wasn’t overly concerned, recognising it as a common aspect of contact sport.

He is slated to return to full contact training this week.

“I truly believe these are the most significant games of my life,” Suaalii remarked.

“Playing against the Lions is a rare opportunity; some only get to do it once in their career, and it only happens every 12 years.”

Kellaway shared his feelings with Wide World of Sports about the distressing incident of accidentally injuring Suaalii.

“No one wants to ruin a Ferrari; that’s certainly not on anyone’s agenda,” he remarked.

“I feared I might go viral as the bloke who injured Joseph right before the Lions series, but thankfully he seems to be on the mend.”

“It’s incredibly unfortunate, but that’s the nature of the sport. It was nice to show the big guy that I still have a bit of grit, despite what some might think.”