Sua’ali’i to make Wallabies debut against England less than a month after switching rugby codes

LONDON (AP) — Less than a month after switching rugby codes, Joseph Sua'ali'i will make his debut for Australia after being picked to start the test match against England at Twickenham on Saturday.

He has been thrown in at outside center in a huge tour-opening game against an England coming off a frustrating 24-22 loss to New Zealand last weekend.

The 21-year-old Sua'ali'i last played in the 15-man code as a winger in 2019 for Australian Schoolboys in a victory over New Zealand. Since then, he has established himself as a star in rugby league, playing for Samoa when it reached the World Cup final in 2022 and in the State of Origin.

He signed a three-year contract with Rugby Australia worth A$5.3 million ($3.5 million) to the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

Sua'ali'i was the only change to the team from the last test, a loss to the All Blacks in Wellington in the Rugby Championship. The Wallabies were defeated five times in six outings in that competition and finished last.

Fourteen of the players in the matchday 23 will play at Twickenham for the first time.